Editor's note

Today we're bringing you the best Science + Technology coverage from The Conversation Global, from that "Himalayan Viagra" story that got so much buzz to an expert analysis of how data can save lives.

We hope you've enjoyed our best-of roundups in recent weeks as the newsroom took some time off. We'll be back next week with more original news, analysis and reporting from around the globe.

Catesby Holmes

Global Commissioning Editor

It’s not too late to get your Himalayan Viagra, but it’ll cost you. Max Pixel

'Himalayan Viagra' is threatened by fervent Chinese demand and climate change

Prayan Pokharel, University of Giessen

The coveted and unusual aphrodisiac found only at very high altitudes can fetch up to US$100,000 a kilo.

Have we really discovered other “Earth-like” planets orbiting around other stars? Understanding what we do and do not know about exoplanets is the key to answering this question. ESO/L. Calcada/N. Risinger/Reuters

Until we get better tools, excited reports of 'habitable planets' need to come back down to Earth

Joshua Tan, Universidad Católica de Chile

Over the last 20 years, advances in the field of exoplanet discovery have excited the imaginations of scientists and enthusiasts alike. But we're in position to know yet whether a planet is habitable.

Display of Colombia’s main export countries on the “Globe of Economic Complexity” application provided by The Center for International Development (CID), Harvard University CID, Harvard University

How open data can help the Global South, from disaster relief to voter turnout

Stefaan G. Verhulst, New York University

Can open data change the world? We looked beyond the hype to find out.

DIY antennas are often placed in churches for better visibility, longer distance and better quality connections. Freifunk.net

DIY networking: the path to a more democratic internet

Panayotis Antoniadis, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

A more democratic internet is possible via personal and community networking. Find out how to build your own connection to the world.

CRISPR uses segments of bacterial DNA that can make targeted cuts in a genome when paired with a specific guide protein. Stuart Caie/Flickr

CRISPR gene-editing controversy shows old ideas about East and West still prevail

Calvin Wai-Loon Ho, National University of Singapore

Controversy over a Chinese study that used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology shows how the West still looks at the East through the lens of Orientalism.