Sean McDowell (TWAS Fellow 2009) talks about the challenges he faces – and the success he has achieved – as a researcher in the Caribbean.

For those who are privileged to be members, science academies often serve as sanctuaries from the troubles and tribulations of everyday life. But that's not the case for the Palestine Academy of Science and Technology (PALAST), which operates in one of the world's toughest neighbourhoods. The work of the Academy is profiled in the latest edition of the TWAS Newsletter.

Spun into thread or made into cloth, cotton has been the primary source of much of the world's clothing and fabric for thousands of years, rivalled only by wool and silk. Even today, cotton accounts for 40% of the fibre sold worldwide. It remains the most widely used natural fibre.

TWAS Fellow (1999) Ahmadou Lamine Ndiaye from Senegal has just been elected the new president of the Nairobi-based African Academy of Sciences (AAS). He succeeds Mohamed H.A. Hassan.

Malaria, which is caused by the parasite Plasmodium, affects millions of people worldwide. It kills one child every 30 seconds.

The International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011), a year-long celebration of chemistry's contributions to society, is taking place this year. IYC 2011 is designed to draw attention to the important role that chemistry plays in our lives.

"The most critical problems related to water in Africa are often found in cities," says E. Salif Diop (TWAS Fellow 2010). That's why he finds the urban focus of this year's World Water Day to be both urgent and timely.

Cancerous tumors pose a severe health threat throughout the world. Ranking second only to cardiovascular disease in terms of disease burden, tumors are both a common and multifaceted affliction that still awaits effective treatment.

Italian-Brazilian scientist Umberto Cordani has a passion for dating rocks. His research not only sheds light on the intricate dynamics of our planet but also helps us better understand the geological stresses facing the Earth today.

Mohamed H.A. Hassan, who has served as TWAS's executive director for more than a quarter century, has retired. In the most recent edition of the TWAS Newsletter, he reminisces about his time at TWAS. Excerpts follow.