Twas in Action

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

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

"The most critical problems related to water in Africa are often found in cities," says E. Salif Diop

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

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.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have generally had a positive impact on science in the developing world

Berhanu Molla Abegaz who was recently appointed executive director of the African Academy of Science (AAS), explains how "science for development" will be at the centre of the AAS's programmes