Putting science centre stage—Learning together for our future

The scientific and technological change at the recent speed and scale, and the vast amount of information available at everyone's fingertips, can be overwhelming. Thus, scientists and educators need to support everyone in becoming and being able to judge scientific expertise and the credibility of a source and the information provided; and need to facilitate developing or strengthening trust in science. Papers from around the globe, addressing current educational approaches that drive the development of science literacy, were published in the FEMS Microbiology Letters virtual Thematic Issue 'Learning together for our future' in October 2025. The paper's themes of timely education practice range from public engagement with microbiology, active and authentic learning that prepares for professional and civic contributions, to citizen science and service learning. Its content is reviewed and contextualized here to facilitate discussions within the professional community. Crucially, we need to offer and create inclusive opportunities for learning and developing science literacy, so we can truly learn together for our future.