August 04, 2022
Africa: Beyoncé Has Helped Usher in a Renaissance for African Artists
Beyoncé has released her seventh solo studio album, titled Renaissance (2022). The album, an event in global popular culture, is the first of a three-part project by the US… Read more »
Africa: Racism in South Africa - Why the ANC Has Failed to Dismantle Patterns of White Privilege
One of the sources of social discontent in post-apartheid South Africa is the legacy of white racism. This toxic legacy is evident in racialised poverty and inequality. Read more »
August 02, 2022
Africa: Troubling Research Shows Warm Waters Rushing Towards World's Biggest Ice Sheet in Antarctica
Warmer waters are flowing towards the East Antarctic ice sheet, according to our alarming new research which reveals a potential new driver of global sea-level rise. Read more »
Africa: Subsidies for Farmers - We've Designed a Tool to Guide Spending Decisions
One of the hardest decisions a government must make is who to support with the limited public funds at its disposal. In recent years the largest countries in sub-Saharan Africa… Read more »
August 01, 2022
Africa: Penguins Adapt Their Voices to Sound Like Their Companions - New Study
We've all known a friend who came back from holiday with a French lilt in their accent. Or noticed an American twang creeping into our voice during dinner with a friend visiting… Read more »
Africa: The Tongue - How One of the Body's Most Sensitive Organs Is Helping Blind People 'See'
Ever wondered why kissing feels better than holding hands? The tongue is a pretty incredible piece of kit, though notoriously difficult to study, due to its position inside the… Read more »
Africa: How Used Clothes Became Part of Africa's Creative Economy - and Fashion Sense
In recent years the global secondhand apparel market for clothing and shoes has grown exponentially. In 2002 used clothing exports were worth US$1.4 billion. Despite a slowdown… Read more »
July 20, 2022
Africa: What the Bible Actually Says About Abortion May Surprise You
In the days since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had established the constitutional right to an abortion, some Christians have cited the Bible to argue why this… Read more »
July 21, 2022
Africa: Long Covid - With No Treatment Options, It's Little Wonder People Are Seeking Unproven Therapies Like 'Blood Washing'
A recent investigation published by the British Medical Journal revealed that long COVID patients are travelling abroad to seek expensive "blood washing" treatment. Read more »
July 25, 2022
Africa: Why Do Hammerhead Sharks Have Hammer-Shaped Heads?
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Read more »
July 28, 2022
Africa: Food and Drinks Are Getting Sweeter. Even If It's Not All Sugar, It's Bad for Our Health
Humans have an evolutionary preference for sweetness. Sweet foods, like fruit and honey, were an important energy source for our ancestors. Read more »
July 19, 2022
Africa: Covid - Risk of Diabetes and Heart Disease Is Higher After Infection - but Maybe Only Temporarily
Since the pandemic began, we've learned a great deal about the disease behind it. We now regard COVID-19 as not just a respiratory disease, but a multi-system condition. Read more »
July 26, 2022
Africa: How the Omicron Subvariant BA.5 Became a Master of Disguise
The omicron subvariant known as BA.5 was first detected in South Africa in February 2022 and spread rapidly throughout the world. As of the second week of July 2022, BA.5… Read more »
July 29, 2022
Africa: Climate Change Is Intensifying the Water Cycle, Bringing More Powerful Storms and Flooding - Here's What the Science Shows
Powerful storm systems triggered flash flooding across the U.S. in late July, killing at least 28 people in eastern Kentucky as floodwater engulfed homes and set off mudslides.… Read more »
July 28, 2022
Africa: Western Countries Are Shipping Refugees to Poorer Nations in Exchange for Cash
The U.K. government was due to begin its first deportation flight to remove asylum-seekers to the East African country of Rwanda on June 14, 2022, exactly two months after signing… Read more »
Africa: Women Entrepreneurs in Africa Face More Climate Risks Than Their Male Peers
The world's climate is changing. All of us will ultimately be affected by climatic shifts - but some will be hit harder than others. Read more »
July 24, 2022
Africa: Monkeypox - World Health Organization Declares It a Global Health Emergency - Here's What That Means
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency. Read more »
July 28, 2022
Africa: School Feeding Programmes Are Great Value for Money
Hundreds of millions of children worldwide attend class every day. With such a wide reach, schools can effectively deliver a vast array of interventions such as immunisations and… Read more »
July 12, 2022
Africa: US Abortion Restrictions Are Unlikely to Influence International Trends, Which Are Largely Becoming More Liberal
The Supreme Court's June 24, 2022, ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade is already having profound effects across the United States, from Florida to Wisconsin. And the ruling also… Read more »
July 15, 2022
Africa: Is Monkeypox a Pandemic? An Epidemiologist Explains Why It Isn't Likely to Become As Widespread As Covid-19, But Is Worth Watching
Monkeypox is the latest global public health threat to make headlines. Most people who contract the monkeypox virus experience flu-like symptoms and a blistery rash that lasts two… Read more »
July 20, 2022
Africa: Losing a Grandmother Can Have Long-Lasting Mental Health Effects for Kids and Adolescents, a New Study Finds
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. Read more »
July 27, 2022
Africa: Nature Is the World's Original Pharmacy - Returning to Medicine's Roots Could Help Fill Drug Discovery Gaps
While humans evolved over a period of approximately 6 million years, breakthroughs in modern medicine as we know it today got going only in the 19th and 20th centuries. So how did… Read more »
July 26, 2022
Africa: Why Declaring Monkeypox a Global Health Emergency Is a Preventative Step - Not a Reason for Panic
Countries that are members of the United Nations are obligated to report cases of unusual diseases that have the potential to become global health threats. In May 2022, more than a… Read more »
July 27, 2022
Africa: New Covid Variants May Be More Transmissible but That Doesn't Mean the Basic Reproduction Number Has Increased
During the pandemic we have all become familiar with a lot of epidemiological concepts. Read more »
July 26, 2022
Africa: Why Russia Is On a Charm Offensive in Africa. The Reasons Aren't Pretty
Russia is the source of less than 1% of the foreign direct investment into Africa. Substantively, then, Russia brings little to the continent. But the fact that Russia's Foreign… Read more »