It turns out that science journalists working in the region are mostly female (60 per cent), aged under 40 (60 per cent) and have full-time jobs (60 per cent). The majority said their outlets are newspapers, magazines and the Internet - the media most likely to cover science.

Does this mean that there is not much coverage of science on television or radio? This may signal a missed opportunity - these mass media can have a key role in making science more accessible in the developing world, as even poor households have televisions and radios.

A particular concern is the lack of a mechanism for science journalists to have regular feedback about their stories to help understand their audience. We need to know more about our audiences and what media and approaches work best for them.