June 06
Africa: The Disproportionate Toll That Covid-19 Took On People With Diabetes Continues Today
At the start of the pandemic, many people living with diabetes were wondering what COVID-19 meant for them. Diabetes was already known to put people at higher risks from other… Read more »
June 11
Africa: Africa's Freeports Should Boost Trade and Foreign Exchange Earnings - but Evidence Is Thin
The concept of a freeport - an area where normal tax and customs rules don't apply - has existed for centuries. Over time, different terms have emerged. They include export… Read more »
Africa: Girls Usually Read Better Than Boys. Why This Isn't the Case in Some African Countries
In most parts of the world, girls outperform boys in reading. Girls are more likely to read at or above the expected level of proficiency for their grade compared to boys. Read more »
Africa: African Elephants Address One Another With Name-Like Calls - Similar to Humans
What's in a name? People use unique names to address each other, but we're one of only a handful of animal species known to do that, including bottlenose dolphins. Finding more… Read more »
June 10
Africa: EU Migration Policy Is Getting Tougher - the 3 New Tactics Used to Keep African Migrants Out
Nearly a decade has passed since migration to Europe from Africa and the Middle East reached a peak in 2015, referred to as the year of the "migrant crisis". Over a million people… Read more »
Africa: Bicycles Can Change Lives, Especially in Rural Africa
To many people around the world bicycles are a crucial means of transport, especially for carrying loads in rural areas. While their benefits are huge and many organisations are… Read more »
June 07
Africa: Displaced By Violent Conflict - the World's Most Neglected Crises Are in Africa - Six Essential Reads
The Norwegian Refugee Council recently released a report highlighting the 10 most neglected displacement crises in the world in 2023. Nine of the 10 countries are in Africa - the… Read more »
June 09
Africa: Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa Is Linked to Increasing Obesity Rates in Women
Obesity and excess weight gain, traditionally perceived as health issues predominantly affecting high-income countries, are now increasingly prevalent in low and middle-income… Read more »
Africa: Cholera Can Kill You Within Hours If Left Untreated
Cholera is a deadly disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, associated with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. But it has also been found in seemingly… Read more »
June 06
Africa: Hydropower Damages River Systems in Africa - How More Solar and Wind Power Can Solve This Problem
Across the African continent, more than 300 new hydropower projects are planned to meet the growing demand for electricity. Some of these will require big dams, which can have… Read more »
June 02
Africa: Patents Based On Traditional Knowledge Are Often 'Biopiracy'. a New International Treaty Will Finally Combat This
Last week, at a conference in Geneva, the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation agreed on a new treaty aimed at preventing the for-profit piracy of… Read more »
June 03
Africa: Buying and Selling Forest Carbon As a Commodity Is Dangerous If It Trumps Other Environmental and Social Uses - New Report
Forests are great carbon sinks - they absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than they release. Globally, forests remove nearly all of the two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide that… Read more »
June 05
Africa: Foreign Healthcare Volunteers in Africa Can Harm Local Relationships - Zambian Study
Thousands of global health volunteers, most from the United States, travel to Africa every year. These volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and have varying levels of… Read more »
Africa: Female Giraffes Drove the Evolution of Long Giraffe Necks in Order to Feed On the Most Nutritious Leaves, New Research Suggests
Everything in biology ultimately boils down to food and sex. To survive as an individual you need food. To survive as a species you need sex. Read more »
June 04
Africa: Africa Doesn't Have a Choice Between Economic Growth and Protecting the Environment
Heathrow Airport in the UK currently uses more energy than the entire west African country of Sierra Leone. Despite Africa accounting for less than 4% of all global greenhouse gas… Read more »
June 03
Africa: Nearly 25% of Land in Africa Has Been Damaged - What's to Blame, and What Can Be Done
Land degradation is a huge issue across the continent of Africa. One of its biggest drivers is biological invasions. This is when invasive species (species that aren't naturally… Read more »
May 31
Africa: African Countries Could Unlock Billions in Local and Global Trade - What's Working and What's Not
Africa's share of global trade remains disproportionately small, hovering around 2%-3%. Countries on the continent trade more with the rest of the world than they do among… Read more »
May 30
Africa: Study of 16 Countries Shows Higher Taxes Would Help Young Smokers Quit or Cut Down
World No Tobacco Day serves to increase awareness about the preventable death and illness associated with tobacco use. It also puts a spotlight on policies that governments can use… Read more »
Africa: How Many Giraffe Species Are There? Understanding This Is Key to Their Protection
Giraffes, with their distinctive body shape and variations in coat patterns, have long been an example in evolutionary biology teachings. They are a textbook example of how species… Read more »
May 24
Africa: As Covid Cases Rise Again, What Do I Need to Know About the New Flirt Variants?
We've now been living with COVID for well over four years. Although there's still much to learn about SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) at least one thing seems clear: it's… Read more »
Africa: Animals Self-Medicate With Plants - Behavior People Have Observed and Emulated for Millennia
When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently suffered a facial wound, apparently after fighting with another male, he did something that caught the attention of the scientists… Read more »
May 27
Africa: Noise-Cancelling Headphones, Earplugs and Earmuffs - Do They Really Help Neurodivergent People?
Noise can make it hard to concentrate, especially for people who are extra sensitive to it. Read more »
Africa: We Found Over 300 Million Young People Had Experienced Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Over the Course of Our Meta-Study
It takes a lot to shock Kelvin Lay. My friend and colleague was responsible for setting up Africa's first dedicated child exploitation and human trafficking units, and for many… Read more »
May 29
Africa: Power Cuts Have Hit South Africa's Labour Market Hard - the Biggest Toll Has Been On Jobs - New Research
Access to electricity - measured by the share of individuals who use electricity as their main energy source - has significantly improved in lower-income countries in recent… Read more »
May 28
Africa: Democracy in Africa - Digital Voting Technology and Social Media Can Be a Force for Good - and Bad
It's a bumper year for elections on the continent: by the end of 2024, 20 countries ought to have gone to the polls to vote in national elections. A handful of others are also… Read more »