Science without borders

The full scientific potential of emerging economies has yet to be realized.

Pursuing a career in science in Africa involves challenges not faced by researchers who remain in the high-income countries in which they studied.

Efforts to improve the health of a community will not succeed if the community does not want them to.

Just like climate change, basic science needs transnational support, says Nobel laureate and biologist Elizabeth Blackburn.

Health-care providers in low- and middle-income countries are shifting their focus away from infections, and towards the bigger problems of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Citizen scientists around the globe are uniting to make aflatoxin a thing of the past

Working as a scientist in low- and middle-income countries can be challenging, but it also provides the opportunity to make a difference to people’s lives.

How to support Africa's science structures for tomorrow's best young scientists

The development of astronomy and space science in Africa has grown significantly over the past few years. These advancements make the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals more achievable, and open up the possibility of new beneficial collaborations.

The global North dominates climate change research, but contributions from the South are needed to address this global issue. This Perspective examines the North–South divide and proposes actions, across a range of scales and actors, that may help bridge the divide.

Urban households in the global south face unique energy access challenges. This Perspective outlines a research agenda based on understanding the needs of urban energy users to promote inclusive urban energy transitions.

Recently publicized killings of environmental defenders are the latest iteration of a long and tragic history of violent conflict over access to land and resources. To bring about effective change, we must first understand the drivers and conditions that lead to violence in the sphere of environmental and land conflict.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the food system impacts on a number of urban development issues such as poverty, unemployment and poor health. Informal traders meet the food needs of many poor urban households. However, supermarket chains are changing this, demanding particular policy and planning responses.

Scientists in areas that lack basic provisions — including dependable electricity, water supplies and funding — do research that has a high societal impact. Five people describe the challenges they face.

Current and future climate change poses a substantial threat to the African continent. Young scientists are needed to advance Earth systems science on the continent, but they face significant challenges.

Most of the sustainability challenges and opportunities associated with urbanization are found in the global south. This Perspective shows the extent to which urban issues differ between the developed and developing worlds and identifies steps to re-focus the urban research system globally in view of allowing a more prominent role of urban scholarship from the global south.