March 31
South Africa: Stingray Sand 'Sculpture' On South Africa's Coast May Be Oldest Example of Humans Creating an Image of Another Creature
South Africa's Cape south coast offers many hints about how our human ancestors lived some 35,000 to 400,000 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch. These clues are captured in the… Read more »
March 27
Africa: Venomous Snakes Could Start Migrating in Large Numbers If We Hit 5ºc Warming
A global group of scientists has predicted that climate change may cause dramatic movements in venomous snake populations across many countries in Africa. The scientists took into… Read more »
March 26
Madagascar: We Built an AI Tool to Help Set Priorities for Conservation in Madagascar - What We Found
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - models that process large and diverse datasets and make predictions from them - can have many uses in nature conservation, such as remote monitoring… Read more »
March 21
Africa: Pangolins in Africa - Expert Unpacks Why Millions Have Been Traded Illegally and What Can Be Done About It
Pangolins are fascinating creatures known for their unique appearance and distinctive scales. They are mammals belonging to the order Pholidota and are native to Africa and Asia.… Read more »
March 20
South Africa: Dehydration - How It Happens, What to Watch Out for, What Steps to Take
Dehydration is a big issue during unusually hot weather and outbreaks of diseases such as cholera that lead to life-threatening diarrhoea. Anastasia Ugwuanyi is a family physician… Read more »
Africa: Chimpanzees Stayed in an 'Invisible Cage' After Zoo Enclosure Was Enlarged - South African Study
Captive chimpanzees are one of the most popular species kept in zoos because of their charismatic appeal and similarity to humans. They are the closest living relatives of humans… Read more »
March 13
Africa: It's a Myth That Male Animals Are Usually Larger Than Females - New Study
Males are bigger than females, right? Generally, this is true of humans - imagine the extremes of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and singer Kylie Minogue. It is also true of other… Read more »
March 19
Nigeria: Nigeria's Forests Are Fast Disappearing - Urgent Steps Are Needed to Protect Their Benefits to the Economy and Environment
Nigeria's forest cover has been dwindling fast for decades. With one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, there are concerns about the survival of its forest… Read more »
March 17
Africa: Snakebites - We Thought We'd Created a Winning New Antivenom but Then It Flopped. Why That Turned Out to Be a Good Thing
Snakebites kill over 100,000 people each year, and hundreds of thousands of survivors are left with long-term disabilities such as amputations. Read more »
March 11
Africa: Why Do Trees Need Sunlight? an Environmental Scientist Explains Photosynthesis
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Read more »
Africa: The Next Pandemic? It's Already Here for Earth's Wildlife
I am a conservation biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases. When people ask me what I think the next pandemic will be I often say that we are in the midst of one - it's… Read more »
March 12
South Africa: Is My Water Safe to Drink? Expert Advice for Residents of South African Cities
In early March 2024 the residents of Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city and the economic capital of the country, were hit by extended cuts in water supplies. This was a new… Read more »
Nigeria: Lagos Bans Single-Use Plastics - Why I Think Nigeria Should Have Taxed Them Instead
Waste pollution is a huge problem in Nigeria, with serious impacts on the environment. In response, the Lagos state government has banned styrofoam (a type of plastic widely used… Read more »
March 11
Nigeria: Nigeria Risks Losing All Its Forest Elephants - What We Found When We Went Looking for Them
Nigeria is one of 37 African countries where elephants are found in the wild. Savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) can be found in the north and forest elephants (Loxodonta… Read more »
East Africa: East Africa Must Prepare for More Extreme Rainfall During the Short Rainy Season - New Study
East Africa has recently had an unprecedented series of failed rains. But some rainy seasons are bringing the opposite: huge amounts of rainfall. Read more »
March 07
South Africa: Women Battle When Trying to Take Climate Change Cases to Court - South Africa and Nigeria Study Shows Why
Across domestic courts in Africa, climate cases have been decided in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, with some cases pending in Uganda. However, climate litigation is still fairly… Read more »
February 28
Africa: The True Cost of Food Is Far Higher Than What You Spend At the Checkout Counter
After several years of pandemic-driven price spikes at the grocery store, retail food price inflation is slowing down. That's good news for consumers, especially those in… Read more »
March 01
Africa: Wild Solitary Bees Offer a Vital Pollination Service - but Their Nutritional Needs Aren't Understood
As I walk around the supermarket, I pick up vegetables for tomorrow's dinner, eggs and bread for tonight and some sweet treats for the week. By choosing a range of different food… Read more »
March 05
Africa: Drought Hits Southern Africa's Farmers, Putting Key Maize Supplies At Risk - How to Blunt the Impact
South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have recently published reports indicating a potential decline in grain harvest because of intense El Niño-induced dryness. These… Read more »
March 01
Kenya: Kenya's Had Unusually Hot Weather - an Expert Unpacks What Could Be Causing It
In early 2024 most parts of Kenya, including Nairobi, experienced unusually high temperatures. The World Meteorological Organisation described the hot weather as a global… Read more »
February 29
Ghana: Can Contract Farming Help Smallholder Farmers Build Resilience to Climate Change?
In northern Ghana, many smallholder farmers who grow crops on less than one hectare of land each are entering into contract farming. This gives them guaranteed buyers for their… Read more »
February 28
Africa: Alarming Africa-Wide Report Predicts 30% Drop in Crop Revenue, 50 Million Without Water
African countries will suffer significant economic loss after 2050 if global warming is not limited to below 2°C, a new study by the Center for Global Development has found. Read more »
Somalia: Why Turkey Is Helping Somalia Defend Its Waters
Somalia and Turkey recently announced that they would expand the terms of a defence agreement first signed on 8 February 2024 to include the maritime sector. This came as tensions… Read more »
February 27
South Africa: Expert Explains Why the Taps Keep Running Dry in South Africa's Biggest City
Since the latter part of 2023 hardly a week has gone by without some residents of Johannesburg, South Africa's commercial capital, losing their water supply. Notices of planned… Read more »
Cameroon: Benefits of Using Cleaner Cooking Fuels Are Blunted in Urban Areas Where Outdoor Air Is Polluted
Household air pollution from cooking, heating and lighting with fuels like wood, charcoal and kerosene poses a substantial global health problem. Read more »