September 04, 2023
Africa: Climate Change Will Affect Hydropower - African Countries Must Be Prepared
Hydropower provides clean electricity to millions in Africa. It's the largest source of renewable energy on the continent and accounts for nearly one quarter of total electricity… Read more »
August 30, 2023
Africa: Giraffes Range Across Diverse Habitats - We're Using GPS, Satellites and Statistics to Track and Protect Them
Nearly 6,000 years ago, our ancestors climbed arid rocky outcrops in what is now the Nigerian Sahara and carved spectacularly intricate, larger-than-life renditions of giraffes… Read more »
September 03, 2023
Africa: Vast Underground Water Resources Are Under Pressure From Climate Change - How to Manage Them
All countries have a variety of water resources - some are on the surface, like rivers, and some are beneath the ground. This groundwater provides almost 50% of all global domestic… Read more »
August 29, 2023
Africa: Brics - African Countries Face Opportunities and Risks in Alienating China or the US - an Expert Weighs in
South Africa recently hosted a Brics summit. The event attracted international attention because the group has recently begun to emerge as a possible rival against US dominance of… Read more »
August 28, 2023
Africa: Finding a Live Brain Worm Is Rare. 4 Ways to Protect Yourself From More Common Parasites
News reports this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman's brain in a Canberra hospital last year. The woman had previously been admitted to hospital… Read more »
August 29, 2023
Africa: How Our Female Athletes Feel Forced to Choose Between a 'Strong' or 'Feminine' Look
As I watched the Fifa Women's World Cup, I was probably one of many who couldn't help but feel inspired by the women on the pitch, showing their elite fitness and ability. However,… Read more »
Africa: Sahara Space Rock 4.5 Billion Years Old Upends Assumptions About the Early Solar System
In May 2020, some unusual rocks containing distinctive greenish crystals were found in the Erg Chech sand sea, a dune-filled region of the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. Read more »
August 30, 2023
Africa: Wagner Group - What Yevgeny Prigozhin's Death Means for Stability in Africa
The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin after his private jet crashed on August 23 has raised questions about the Wagner Group's future. Many in the west suspect Kremlin involvement in his… Read more »
August 25, 2023
Africa: How Russia Is Fighting for Allies Among the Brics Countries Using 'Memory Diplomacy'
Since the start of the Ukraine war, there have been numerous diplomatic visits by Russian officials to Africa and Latin America aiming at boosting Russia's global influence. Read more »
August 24, 2023
Africa: 'Worthless' Forest Carbon Offsets Risk Exacerbating Climate Change
In early 2023, the Guardian published an article suggesting that more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets are worthless. These credits are essentially a promise to protect… Read more »
Africa: World's Beaches Are Changing Because of Climate Change - Green Thinking Is Needed to Save Them
Coastlines - the interface between land and sea - lie at the frontline in the battle against climate change impacts. Read more »
Africa: For Minorities, Biased AI Algorithms Can Damage Almost Every Part of Life
Bad data does not only produce bad outcomes. It can also help to suppress sections of society, for instance vulnerable women and minorities. Read more »
August 21, 2023
Africa: Beginning of the End - How Elon Musk's Removal of the Block Function On X Could Trigger Its Hellish Demise
On Saturday, X (formerly Twitter) chairman Elon Musk tweeted he would be removing the microblogging platform's block function. It would remain intact for direct messages, but would… Read more »
August 24, 2023
Africa: China's Africa Strategy Is Shifting From Extraction to Investment - Driven From the Industry-Rich Hunan Region
China experienced a massive economic boom in the 1990s and 2000s which increased its demand for resource imports, like oil, from Africa. This led to a model of development finance… Read more »
August 22, 2023
Africa: 'Dirty Red' - How Periods Have Been Stigmatised Through History to the Modern Day
About a year ago, at a friend's wedding, a fellow guest asked whether I knew that modern sanitary towels owe their origins to resourceful World War I field nurses who discovered… Read more »
August 15, 2023
Africa: The Orgasm Gap and Why Women Climax Less Than Men
Imagine a steamy sex scene involving a woman and a man from your favourite television show or movie. It's likely that both parties orgasm. But this doesn't reflect reality. Read more »
August 17, 2023
Africa: Can Coffee or a Nap Make Up for Sleep Deprivation? A Psychologist Explains Why There's No Substitute for Shut-Eye
There is no denying the importance of sleep. Everyone feels better after a good night of sleep, and lack of sleep can have profoundly negative effects on both the body and the… Read more »
August 14, 2023
Africa: 3 Ways AI Is Transforming Music
Each fall, I begin my course on the intersection of music and artificial intelligence by asking my students if they're concerned about AI's role in composing or producing music. Read more »
August 21, 2023
Africa: Africa Is Being Courted By China, Russia and the U.S. Why the Continent Shouldn't Pick Sides
Some three decades since the end of the Cold War, the world order is undergoing a structural transformation. At the heart of it is the challenge posed to the hegemony of the US.… Read more »
August 20, 2023
Africa: Civilian Support for Military Coups Is Rising in Parts of Africa - Why the Reasons Matter
On the night of 13 January 1963, Togo's President Sylvanus Olympio was shot dead by rebels in the first military coup staged in Africa. A long list, as shown below, was to come.… Read more »
August 18, 2023
Africa: How Genetically Modifying Mosquitoes Could Strengthen the World's War On Malaria
It's been 126 years since British medical doctor Sir Ronald Ross discovered that mosquitoes in the Anopheles family are primarily responsible for transmitting malaria parasites… Read more »
August 14, 2023
Africa: Florida's Academic Standards Distort the Contributions That Enslaved Africans Made to American Society
The state of Florida ignited a controversy when it released a set of 2023 academic standards that require fifth graders to be taught that enslaved Black people in the U.S.… Read more »
Africa: The Science of Why You Can Remember Song Lyrics From Years Ago
Why is it that many people can't remember where they put their car keys most mornings, but can sing along to every lyric of a song they haven't heard in years when it comes on the… Read more »
August 11, 2023
Africa: Military Coups in Africa - Here's What Determines a Return to Civilian Rule
Slightly more than two years after Niger's first peaceful handover of power from one civilian president to another, the military seized power in July 2023. The coup - the fourth in… Read more »
August 13, 2023
Africa: How to Grow Rhinos in a Lab - the Science That Could Save an Endangered Species
There are several parallel projects running across the world to save the northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum), one of Africa's captivating and iconic wildlife… Read more »