A report on the world’s population by the Royal Society recommended that consumption levels between developed and developing nations must be rebalanced alongside a stabilisation of the world’s population. read more

The UK bioscience firm Oxitec implemented a programme to test GM mosquitoes as a means of combating dengue fever in developing world countries. read more

Dr Hans Hogerzeil is the former Director for Essential Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies at the WHO. He came to the SMC to present the latest information on the medicines situations in low and middle income countries, and describe what he believes can be done to improve them. read more

Two of the scientists responsible for the development of a new vaccine for meningitis to be launched in Burkina Faso came to the SMC to brief journalists on the vaccine and its potential to rid sub-Saharan Africa of the disease. read more

With livestock diseases posing a real and growing threat to global food security and livelihoods in developing countries, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID) have announced £13M of major new research projects to tackle the livestock disease threat. The Chair of the initiative came to the SMC along with leading scientists to launch the programme and discuss the threats posed by livestock disease. read more

Few people have had a greater influence on science in the developing world than Professor Gordon Conway, through his work … read more

Biofuels has become one of the most hotly debated issues of our time, with opponents arguing that the rise in the production of biofuels has diverted land away from growing crops for food, leading to recent rises in food prices. Bruce Dale, one of the world’s leading biofuels experts, argues that this is a red herring, and that other issues are more important, including low crop yields in the third world and the agricultural policies pursued by developed world countries. read more

The devastating cyclone in Burma left many thousands of people facing hardship and an elevated risk of infectious disease, especially water-borne diseases. Experts commented on the disaster, and the types of diseases that could be present and the level of risk. read more

The Science Media Centre hosted this briefing to coincide with a Lancet special issue. read more

Tropical disease researchers announced research concluding that because the “big three” infections-AIDS, TB and malaria-have caught the world’s attention countless other disabling and fatal infectious diseases in Africa have been pushed into the shadows. read more

Professor Michael Marmot, chair of this new Commission, discusses it’s aims to tackle the poverty=ill health cycle in the developing world using the principles from his pioneering work into the impact of social inequalities on health in the UK. read more

Four experts in GM and agriculture research spoke to journalists about the potential application of this technology to problems in health and agriculture, in the UK and in developing countries. read more