Africa: All Animal Intelligence Was Shaped By Just 5 Leaps in Brain Evolution

The animal world is full of different types of intelligence, from the simple bodily coordination of jellyfish to the navigation abilities of bees, the complex songs of birds and… Read more »

Africa: How an African Collection of Art in Canada Is Celebrated With Care and Community

A significant collection of traditional African art has had a home in Canada for almost a hundred years. Read more »

Africa: New Research Shows How Covid-19 Affects Younger Children and Those From Deprived Areas

At the heights of the pandemic, particularly since 2021, many children and teenagers admitted to hospital had COVID. However, it was never clear what proportion of them were in… Read more »

Africa: Africa's Linguistic Diversity Goes Largely Unnoticed in Research On Multilingualism

Language is a uniquely human skill. That's why studying how people learn and use language is crucial to understanding what it means to be human. Given that most people in the world… Read more »

Africa: Genetically Modified Crops May Be a Solution to Hunger - Why There Is Scepticism in Africa

Hunger and undernourishment are two elements of food insecurity that have plagued Africa for years. And the menace is growing. Read more »

Africa: AI Is an Existential Threat - Just Not the Way You Think

The rise of ChatGPT and similar artificial intelligence systems has been accompanied by a sharp increase in anxiety about AI. For the past few months, executives and AI safety… Read more »

Africa: Vaccine Hesitancy Is One of Greatest Threats to Global Health - And the Pandemic Made It Worse

The COVID pandemic has disrupted many areas of routine healthcare including, importantly, childhood vaccination. Read more »

Africa: Belgium's AfricaMuseum Has a Dark Colonial Past - It's Making Slow Progress in Confronting This History

Racist displays and stories remain on display in several western European museums. They include grotesque objects depicting African people as "savage" and "wild". Narratives of a… Read more »

Africa: 400 Years Ago, Philosopher Blaise Pascal Was One of the First to Grapple With the Role of Faith in an Age of Science and Reason

In an apostolic letter released on June 19, 2023, Pope Francis praised the "brilliant and inquisitive mind" of the influential French philosopher Blaise Pascal, born on that date… Read more »

Africa: Covid Vaccination in Pregnancy Greatly Reduces Risk of Severe Illness and Death - And Protects Babies

From the early days of the pandemic, it has been evident that a COVID-19 infection in pregnancy can be serious. Hundreds of studies from around the world have consistently shown… Read more »

Africa: The Global South Is On the Rise - but What Exactly Is the Global South?

The unwillingness of many leading countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to stand with NATO over the war in Ukraine has brought to the fore once again the term "Global South." Read more »

Africa: EU's Carbon Border Tax - a New Report Shows Africa Stands to Lose U.S.$25 Billion Every Year

A new European law that imposes the first ever carbon border tax in the world comes into force in October 2023. It will be applied gradually over the next three years before it is… Read more »

Africa: Debunking Myths - the Real Reasons People Move, and Why Most Migration Happens in Global South

Around the world, borders between countries are getting tougher. Governments are making it more difficult to move, especially for certain groups of vulnerable people. This comes… Read more »

Africa: Elections Can Lead to Conflict If They Are Not Free and Fair - What Role Observers Play to Make Sure They Are

At least two dozen presidential, national, regional and local elections are held across the African continent each year. The sometimes fierce electoral competition, a history of… Read more »

Africa: Every 2 Seconds in the World a Baby Is Born Prematurely - Report Identifies Biggest Challenges for Their Survival

Globally, about one baby in 10 is born too soon - that's around one baby every two seconds. A full term pregnancy is around nine months or 37 weeks. Babies born before this mark… Read more »

Africa: Pastoralists Are an Asset to the World - and We Have a Lot to Learn From Them

Pastoralists are livestock keepers who are frequently on the move, sometimes across huge distances. Following mobile lifestyles and living far from centres of power, they are often… Read more »

Africa: Wagner Debacle in Russia Raises Red Flags for African States and How They Manage Their Security

The brief rebellion led against the Kremlin by the head of the Wagner mercenary forces in Russia last week sent shock waves across the world. Read more »

Africa: Migrant Numbers Are Rising - Conflict, Climate and Harassment Force Millions to Leave Their Homes

The number of forcibly displaced people increased to 108 million in 2022 and is expected to reach 117 million by the end of 2023, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency… Read more »

Africa: The Folly of Making Art With Text-to-Image Generative AI

Making art using artificial intelligence isn't new. It's as old as AI itself. Read more »

Africa: Women Lawyers - Numbers Are Up but Report Sheds Light On Obstacles to Leadership in the Profession

The African continent currently leads the world in the number of women chief justices and presidents of constitutional courts. Several countries across the continent have almost… Read more »

Africa: Covid-19 Hurt Kids' Math Learning More Than Reading and Writing - With the Biggest Setbacks in Fall 2020

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Read more »

Africa: Climate Conferences Have a Huge Trust Deficit - How to Make COP28 Deliver

As countries prepare for COP28 summit scheduled for the end of the year in Dubai, the world has the opportunity to map a transition pathway that addresses over 14 years of unmet… Read more »

Africa: Africa Needs Its Own Credit Rating Agency - Here's How It Could Work

The credit rating industry in Africa is dominated by the three international agencies: Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Together they control an estimated 95% of the credit rating… Read more »

Africa: Children's Movement Affects Health and Development but Research Is Lacking in Africa - Here's Why

Children's health and development depend on how much time they spend doing physical activity, being sedentary and sleeping. Read more »

Africa: 920 Million People Could Face Conflict Over the World's Rivers By 2050

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project on the Nile River started operating in February 2022. It reinforced tensions between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. The three countries rely… Read more »