The right of all people to benefit from scientific progress is spurring new research by science and human rights practitioners.

Anne Jefferson is finding ways to address the human side of climate science and stormwater management. Stormwater runoff, which carries urban, agricultural and industrial pollutants into waterways, has devastating consequences for water quality and ecosystems. Climate change increases the volume and velocity of the runoff, worsening flooding and pollution. Concrete steps can be taken, yet “we are not doing nearly enough to manage urban runoff,” says Jefferson. Broader dialogue among scientists, policymakers and other stakeholders about stormwater issues and urban climate resilience is needed. In addition, Jefferson, an associate professor of geology at Kent State University, says social science should be used more often to assess people’s responses to programs and how this influences implementation.

International cooperation on law enforcement and in setting educational and standard practices is the best way to address global cybersecurity challenges, said experts during a panel at the 2017 AAAS Science Diplomacy Conference on 29 March.

Statisticians are increasingly applying their mathematical skills to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking in the United States and a pair of them presented several potential techniques to improve how data is collected and analyzed during a presentation at AAAS on 16 March.