July 22
Africa: Why Does Traditional Masculinity Have Such Longevity, Even Among Younger Boys?
We've all seen men lash out angrily when their masculinity is threatened - not least in Hollywood movies. And the extent of such behaviour has also been uncovered in scientific… Read more »
July 26
Africa: The First Farmers Often Made Landscapes More Biodiverse - Our Research Could Have Lessons for Rewilding Today
You don't need to read the news or scroll through Instagram for long to stumble across the latest example of a rare and beautiful species that has gone extinct. Since AD1500, at… Read more »
July 28
Africa: Hippos Don't Fly - but the Massive Animals Can Get Airborne
In 1872 Leland Stanford, the founder of California's Stanford University, hired an eccentric inventor named Eadweard Muybridge to help resolve a supposed (but undocumented) bet:… Read more »
July 25
Africa: The Human Virome - Why Viruses Could Be As Important for Good Health As Gut Bacteria
We often hear about the importance of the human microbiome - the vast collection of bacteria and fungi that live on and inside us - when it comes to our health. But there's… Read more »
July 23
Africa: Who Will Win Olympic Rugby Sevens Gold? Our Algorithm Uses 10,000 Simulations to Rank the Teams
The speed, skill and flair on display in rugby sevens makes it an ideal Olympic sport. The Paris games should be no exception, especially given France's own great rugby tradition. Read more »
Africa: Pandemic Effects Linger, and Art Invites Us to Pause and Behold Distance, Time and Trauma
When I finished the manuscript for my book The Pause, which looked at the COVID-19 pandemic through the idea of "pausing," a notion frequently invoked in pandemic discussions of… Read more »
Africa: Lb.1, or D-Flirt, Is the Newest Covid Subvariant. What Do We Know About It? Where Has It Come From?
Headlines are again warning of a new COVID variant in Australia. This time it's LB.1, or as some experts have dubbed it, "D-FLiRT". Read more »
Africa: What's the Difference Between 'Strep Throat' and a Sore Throat? We're Developing a Vaccine for One of Them
What's the difference? is a new editorial product that explains the similarities and differences between commonly confused health and medical terms, and why they matter. Read more »
July 21
Africa: Who Were the First Africans At the Olympics? the Disturbing Story of Two 1904 Marathon Runners
Who were the first Africans to compete in the modern Olympic Games? The answer to that question reveals the surprising story of a 1904 marathon - and exposes the history of racism… Read more »
July 22
Africa: Urban Greening in Africa Will Help to Build Climate Resilience - Planners and Governments Need to Work With Nature
Nature-based solutions are actions that use nature to solve environmental problems. Examples in cities would be setting up a wetland near a group of buildings to absorb floodwater,… Read more »
Africa: False Stereotypes Mean Endangered Animals Are Being Protected in the Wrong Places
Giant panda reclining in cloudy hills eating bamboo, European bison picking their way through gloomy and lichen-draped forests and Cape mountain zebra roaming arid mountains. Ideas… Read more »
July 19
Africa: One Small Update Brought Down Millions of IT Systems Around the World. It's a Timely Warning
This weekend's global IT outage caused by a software update gone wrong highlights the interconnected and often fragile nature of modern IT infrastructure. It demonstrates how a… Read more »
July 22
Africa: TB - Gene Editing Could Add New Power to a 100-Year-Old Vaccine
Tuberculosis dates back more than 9,000 years. It is the most infectious bacterial disease and in 2022 10.6 million people fell ill with it. Of these 23% occurred in Africa. Read more »
July 19
Africa: What Is Crowdstrike Falcon and What Does It Do? Is My Computer Safe?
A massive IT outage is currently affecting computer systems worldwide. In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, reports indicate computers at banks, media organisations, hospitals,… Read more »
July 18
Africa: The HIV Epidemic 40 Years On - 5 Essential Reads On Breakthroughs, Blind Spots and New Challenges
In June 1981 The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a rare form of pneumonia in young gay men in California. Although they didn't know it at the time, these… Read more »
Africa: DRC Conflict Risks Spreading - African Leaders Must Push for Solutions Beyond Military Intervention
In response to the deepening crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United Nations Security Council established a panel of independent experts in 2023 to examine… Read more »
Africa: Long Covid Puzzle Pieces Are Falling Into Place - the Picture Is Unsettling
Since 2020, the condition known as long COVID-19 has become a widespread disability affecting the health and quality of life of millions of people across the globe and costing… Read more »
July 03
Africa: What Can You Do If You Think Your Teen Already Has Unhealthy Social Media Habits?
Many parents are worried about how much their children use social media and what content they might encounter while using it. Read more »
July 16
Africa: Astronauts Don't Eat Enough Because Food Tastes Bland in Space. We're Trying to Work Out Why
Astronauts often report that the joy of eating is lost in space. Food that tastes fabulous on Earth may become bland and boring in orbit. Read more »
July 17
Africa: Beating River Blindness - Blackfly Bites Dramatically Reduced After Breeding Sites Are Destroyed With Machetes
Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is a neglected tropical disease that causes severe itching, disfiguring skin conditions and visual impairment. Read more »
July 15
Africa: Gender Apartheid - Oppression of Women Should Be Made a Crime Against Humanity - Feminist Academic Explains Why
Crimes against humanity are occurring with impunity around the globe; from Myanmar to Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere. And yet, unlike international treaties for the crimes of… Read more »
July 07
Africa: Looking Back At the Olympic Venues Since 1896 - Are They Still in Use?
Olympic Games are big affairs that require massive infrastructure projects to build the various stadiums and venues. Read more »
July 09
Africa: New Research Shows Small Lifestyle Changes Are Linked to Differences in Teen Mental Health Over Time
Judging by recent headlines and policy ideas, you might think screen time is the only lifestyle behaviour influencing teen wellbeing. Read more »
July 10
Africa: African Urbanisation - What Can (And Can't) Be Learned From China About Growing Cities
The economic growth paths of Asian and African countries have often been compared. China, with gross domestic product per capita of US$251 in 1987, was poorer than most African… Read more »
July 09
Africa: Catching Online Scammers - Our Model Combines Data and Behavioural Science to Map the Psychological Games Cybercriminals Play
When fiction's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, needed to solve a crime, he turned to his sharp observational skills and deep understanding of human nature. He used this… Read more »
The Conversation Africa (Johannesburg)
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