January 18, 2023
Africa: Is Veganuary Bad for You? a Nutritionist Explains Why Plant-Based Diets Need Proper Planning
Veganuary is upon us again, with thousands of people around the world giving up animal products for the month of January. The movement, which encourages people to follow a vegan… Read more »
January 17, 2023
Angola: Peatlands Trap Carbon and Clean the Region's Water - How We Mapped This Newly Found Landscape #AfricaClimateHope
Ask most people what they picture when thinking about natural "carbon sinks" - ecosystems that absorb and store greenhouse gases - and they'll probably describe a forest.… Read more »
Africa: Fossil Study Brings Us One Step Closer to Revealing How 'Flying Dinosaurs' Took Flight
If you think of flying dinosaurs, you probably picture an animal with long, leathery wings, sharp claws and a big beak. The animal you are imagining is not a dinosaur, it's from a… Read more »
Africa: Extreme Storms and Flood Events Cause Damage Worth Billions to Ports - and They Are Most Disruptive to Small Island Developing States #AfricaClimateCrisis
Shipping ports are crucial for the global economy. They handle the majority of trade, are industrial and transportation hubs and provide employment. But ports, by their nature, are… Read more »
Africa: Underwater Noise Is a Threat to Marine Life
Oceans are full of sound. Waves, earthquakes and calving icebergs all contribute to the underwater soundscape. But so do human activities, and this can be a problem for marine life… Read more »
Africa: Moderna's Experimental Cancer Vaccine Treats but Doesn't Prevent Melanoma - a Biochemist Explains How It Works
Media outlets have reported the encouraging findings of clinical trials for a new experimental vaccine developed by the biotech company Moderna to treat an aggressive type of skin… Read more »
Africa: Neanderthals - The Oldest Art in the World Wasn't Made By Homo Sapiens
One of the most hotly debated questions in the history of Neanderthal research has been whether they created art. In the past few years, the consensus has become that they did,… Read more »
South Africa: Technology and Sustainable Development - A Hamlet in Rural South Africa Shows How One Can Power the Other
It's hard to imagine that the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the fourth industrial revolution can be part of the same conversation. Read more »
Africa: Curious Kids - Is There Such a Thing As Nothing?
Is there such a thing as nothing? - Reggie, aged seven, Darlington Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Currency Redesign and Withdrawal Limits - Questionable Policy and Bad Timing
The Central Bank of Nigeria launched new banknotes in November 2022. The new notes came into effect on 15 December 2022. Read more »
Central Africa: 7 Million Internally Displaced People Live in Central Africa - They Need More Support
Central Africa is host to the largest community of internally displaced persons in Africa. The countries in this region include Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the… Read more »
January 16, 2023
Africa: Women's Voices Are Missing in the Media - Including Them Could Generate Billions in Income
How can the news media represent women's voices better? The answer might be in a recent report, "From outrage to opportunity: How to include the missing perspectives of women of… Read more »
Africa: Pope Francis' Visit Comes At a Defining Moment for the Catholic Church
During his planned visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan in February 2023, Pope Francis intends to be in dialogue with African Catholics - but also to… Read more »
Uganda: How the Case of a Former Child Soldier Exposed Weaknesses in International Criminal Law
Guilt and innocence are rarely clear-cut, even in the most heinous of crimes. The recent appeal of Dominic Ongwen, former commander in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), shines a… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's University System Needs Radical Reform
Amid strikes by Nigeria's Academic Staff Union of Universities, one thing is clear: the current funding model for the country's public universities is broken. The government's new… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya's Rift Valley Lakes Are Rising, Putting Thousands At Risk - We Now Know Why
The East African Rift Valley sits between the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia and Mozambique. Within it lie a series of freshwater and alkaline lakes organised like a string of pearls. Read more »
Africa: Most Humans Haven't Evolved to Cope With the Cold, Yet We Dominate Northern Climates - Here's Why
Humans are a tropical species. We have lived in warm climates for most of our evolutionary history, which might explain why so many of us spend winter huddled under a blanket,… Read more »
Africa: FAQ On Covid-19 Subvariant Xbb.1.5
Despite intensive public health efforts to grind the COVID-19 pandemic to a halt, the recent emergence of the highly transmissible, extensively drug-resistant and profoundly immune… Read more »
Africa: Strep A Cases Are Rising. We Must Remember Our Earliest Hygiene Lessons As Vaccine Trials Continue
Group A streptococci, also known as "strep A", were the first organisms ever identified to be the cause of a disease. Read more »
South Africa: Being a Volunteer Won't Land You a Job. but It Could Improve Your Chances of Getting One
The South African government has implemented numerous economic policies to boost employment since the democratic transition in 1994. But between 1995 and 2022 the growth in… Read more »
January 15, 2023
South Africa: Farming in South Africa - 6 Things That Need Urgent Attention in 2023
South Africa's agriculture remains an important sector of the economy and holds great potential to reduce poverty. It's also central to the political economy of the country, as… Read more »
Africa: How to Treat Scars At Home - and Hopefully Make Them Disappear
Maybe you've had a skin cancer removed from your face or body. Perhaps you had an injury or accident and needed stitches. However you came by a cut on your skin, you probably want… Read more »
January 14, 2023
Africa: Why Cholera Continues to Threaten Many African Countries
Malawi is facing its worst cholera outbreak in two decades. The outbreak started early in 2022 and has, so far, resulted in over 18,000 cases and the loss of 750 lives. It's also… Read more »
January 13, 2023
South Africa: Frene Ginwala Remembered - Trailblazing Feminist and First Speaker of South Africa's Democratic Parliament
Frene Ginwala, feisty feminist, astute political tactician and committed cadre of South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), has died at the age of 90. In… Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: Mining and Armed Conflict Threaten Eastern DR Congo's Biodiversity in a Complex Web
The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) conflict-affected eastern provinces are home to numerous protected areas. These areas host unique biodiversity and a range of threatened… Read more »