August 22, 2022
Africa: Tips On How to Help Innovative Ideas Get Wings - From Universities to Businesses
Slowed economic growth and high unemployment almost seem the norm across Sub-Saharan Africa. There are many factors that has caused this including varying skills levels, low levels… Read more »
August 18, 2022
Africa: Why Are Bigger Animals More Energy-Efficient? A New Answer to a Centuries-Old Biological Puzzle
If you think about "unravelling the mysteries of the universe", you probably think of physics: astronomers peering through telescopes at distant galaxies, or experimenters smashing… Read more »
August 17, 2022
Africa: Ancient Megalodon Super-Predators Could Swallow a Great White Shark Whole, New Model Reveals
In a new 3D modelling study published this week in Science Advances, we show that the giant extinct shark, Otodus megalodon, was a true globetrotting super-predator. Read more »
August 19, 2022
Africa: Summer Colds - This May Explain Why So Many Have Suffered Them This Year
Most of us associate colds and the flu with colder weather. But that doesn't mean you can't still catch a cold during the summer. Some viruses are even more common in summer than… Read more »
August 18, 2022
Africa: Social Network BeReal Shares Unfiltered and Unedited Moments From Our Lives - Will It Last?
BeReal hit the social networking scene in late 2019 but didn't take off until downloads started skyrocketing in 2022. So, what is BeReal all about, and is it here to stay? Read more »
August 21, 2022
Africa: South Africa's Nuclear Sector Has Failed Its Test - the Koeberg Nuclear Plant Life Extension
South Africa's only nuclear power plant, Koeberg, has frequently been in the news in 2022, all for the wrong reasons. Read more »
August 19, 2022
Africa: How African Countries Coordinated the Response to Covid-19 - Lessons for Public Health
The COVID-19 pandemic spread much slower on the African continent than in the rest of the world, contrary to predictions. Read more »
Africa: The African Union Has Had a Shaky Two Decades but Problems Can Be Solved
On 9 September 1999, the Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity issued the Sirte declaration calling for the establishment of an African Union (AU). Read more »
August 18, 2022
Africa: How a Bike Accident Changed Me, By a Philosopher of Hope
Cycling once made me feel free unlike anything else. I loved the sensation of slicing through the air, flying past pedestrians and cars stalled in traffic. Where I live (in… Read more »
Africa: A Dog Has Caught Monkeypox From One of Its Owners, Highlighting Risk of the Virus Infecting Pets and Wild Animals
A dog in Paris has caught monkeypox from one of its owners, both of whom were infected with the virus, according to a scientific paper published on Aug. 10, 2022. This is the first… Read more »
Africa: We Studied How Covid Affects Mental Health and Brain Disorders - Here's What We Found
The occurrence of mental health conditions and neurological disorders among people recovering from COVID has been a concern since early in the pandemic. Several studies have shown… Read more »
Africa: Fake Research Can Be Harmful to Your Health - a New Study Offers a Tool for Rooting It Out
If you are suffering with chronic pain, diabetes, heart problems or any other condition, you want to be confident that your doctor will offer you an effective treatment. You… Read more »
August 16, 2022
Africa: Treating Monkeypox Like an STI May Help Control the Outbreak, but Stigma Is a Danger
The recent monkeypox global outbreak, now declared by the World Health Organization as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), is sadly yet another reason for… Read more »
August 18, 2022
Africa: Mosquito Species From Asia Poses Growing Risk to Africa's Anti-Malaria Efforts
The spread of the mosquito species Anopheles stephensi across Africa poses a significant problem to a continent already heavily burdened by malaria. Most - 90% - of the world's… Read more »
Africa: Mosquitoes - There's Malaria, Plus 5 Other Diseases They Pass On to Humans
Most people instantly associate mosquitoes with malaria. But these tiny flying insects can transmit a number of other diseases too. Read more »
August 17, 2022
Africa: Covid Vaccine - How the New 'Bivalent' Booster Will Target Omicron
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved a bivalent COVID booster vaccine, making it the first country in the world to do so. Read more »
Africa: Academic Freedom and Democracy in African Countries - the First Study to Track the Connection
There is growing interest in the state of academic freedom worldwide. A 1997 Unesco document defines it as the right of scholars to teach, discuss, research, publish, express… Read more »
Africa: When Covid-19 or Flu Viruses Kill, They Often Have an Accomplice - Bacterial Infections
The 1918 influenza pandemic resulted in the loss of over 3% of the world's population - at least 50 million people. But it wasn't the flu virus that caused the majority of these… Read more »
Africa: A Lucrative New African Football League Is Coming - the Pros and Cons
The Confederation for African Football (Caf) recently announced plans for a continent-wide Africa Super League. It will kick off with 24 clubs from 16 countries in August 2023. Read more »
August 15, 2022
Africa: The Rise of 'Dr. Google' - the Risks of Self-Diagnosis and Searching Symptoms Online
Virtual health care was adopted more widely during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many people accessing health-care providers remotely. However, easy and convenient access to… Read more »
Africa: African Digital Innovators Are Turning Plastic Waste Into Value - but There Are Gaps
Plastic pollution is a growing global menace. Between 2010 and 2020, the global production of plastics increased from 270 million tonnes to 367 million tonnes. Every year, more… Read more »
August 14, 2022
Africa: Yes, Continent's Informal Sector Has Problems, but the Answer Isn't to Marginalise It
African leaders are increasingly aspiring to "modernise" their cities. That is to make them "globally competitive" and "smart". The hope is to strategically position cities in… Read more »
Africa: The Covid Lab Leak Theory Is Dead. Here's How We Know the Virus Came From a Wuhan Market
My colleagues and I published the most detailed studies of the earliest events in the COVID-19 pandemic last month in the journal Science. Read more »
August 12, 2022
Africa: Expanded Access to Solar Power in Africa Can Stimulate Economic Development - but There Are Risks
UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 aspires to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. But in Africa, around 600 million people continue… Read more »
August 10, 2022
Africa: Cigarette Advertising Aggressively Targets Kids in Low - and Middle-Income Countries, a New Study Finds
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Read more »