October 10
West Africa: Discovery of 5,000-Year-Old Farming Society in Morocco Fills a Major Gap in History - North-West Africa Was a Central Player in Trade and Culture
A new discovery of an ancient farming society at Oued Beht in Morocco fills a centuries-old gap in history. It reveals that, 5,000 years ago, the Maghreb (north-west Africa) was… Read more »
October 08
Africa: How Do You Stop Elephant Herds From Trashing Crops and Trees? Target Sensitive Nostrils With a 'Scent Fence'
Elephant numbers are surging in southern Africa, with fewer natural predators, reduced hunting pressure and feeding by farmers and tourist operators. Read more »
October 07
Africa: Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded for Discovery of MicroRNAs, the Molecules That Control Our Genes
Two scientists, Victor Ambros (UMASS Chan Medical School in the US) and Gary Ruvkun (Harvard Medical School in the US), have won the 2024 Nobel prize in medicine or physiology. Read more »
Africa: One of Science's Greatest Achievements - How the Rapid Development of Covid Vaccines Prepares Us for Future Pandemics
Since COVID was first reported in December 2019, there have been more than 775 million recorded infections and more than 7 million deaths from the disease. This makes COVID the… Read more »
October 08
Africa: Britain Has Neglected Africa and the Commonwealth for Over a Decade - 4 Ways It Can Reset Relations
The United Kingdom is resetting its relations with Africa and other countries in the global south after more than a decade of neglect. At the United Nations in September, British… Read more »
Africa: Africa's Great Green Wall Will Only Combat Desertification and Poverty By Harnessing Local Solutions
In the rural village of Téssékéré, the increasing number and intensity of droughts linked to climate change is making the lives and livelihoods of the… Read more »
October 02
Africa: Gut Microbe Imbalances Could Predict a Child's Risk for Autism, Adhd and Speech Disorders Years Before Symptoms Appear
Early screening for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism is important to ensure children have the support they need to gain the essential skills for daily life. The American… Read more »
October 08
Africa: A Geomagnetic Storm Has Hit Earth - a Space Scientist Explains What Causes Them
A geomagnetic storm lit up the night sky in parts of the US during the first weekend in October. South Africa's National Space Agency (Sansa) told reporters that the storm had… Read more »
Africa: When Medicines Don't Work - Eliminating Neglected Tropical Diseases Will Reduce Drug Resistance - a Win for All
A major health challenge of our time is when drugs no longer work to treat infections. This happens when the agents that cause infections - they may be bacteria, viruses or fungi -… Read more »
October 06
Africa: Nasa Is Launching a Major Mission to Look for Habitable Spots On Jupiter's Moon Europa
On October 10, NASA is launching a hotly anticipated new mission to Jupiter's fourth-largest moon, Europa. Read more »
October 02
Africa: Studying Science Fiction Films Can Help Students Understand the Power Societies Have to Shape Our Lives
Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Read more »
October 03
Africa: Is Big Tech Harming Society? to Find Out, We Need Research - but It's Being Manipulated By Big Tech Itself
For almost a decade, researchers have been gathering evidence that the social media platform Facebook disproportionately amplifies low-quality content and misinformation. Read more »
October 01
Africa: You Can Count Female Physics Nobel Laureates On One Hand
Out of 225 people awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, only five have been women. This is a very small number, and certainly smaller than 50% - the percent of women in the human… Read more »
October 06
Africa: Smokers Have a Higher Level of Harmful Bacteria in the Mouth - New Study
A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 8 million people die annually from smoking related complications. Despite efforts by governments and various… Read more »
October 03
Africa: Wretched of the Earth Has Been Translated Into South Africa's Zulu Language - Why Frantz Fanon's Revolutionary Book Still Matters
Frantz Fanon was an influential psychiatrist, Algerian revolutionary and pan-African thinker who was born on the Caribbean island of Martinique. His work - and particularly his… Read more »
Africa: Africa's Famous Serengeti and Maasai Mara Are Being Hit By Climate Change
The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which includes Kenya's Maasai Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, is one of the most famous and wildlife-rich areas in Africa. Read more »
Africa: HIV Prevention - Why a New Injectable Drug Could Be Such a Breakthrough - Podcast
A new drug to prevent HIV infection is showing hugely promising results in clinical trials when injected every six months. Read more »
October 02
Africa: How Can We Improve Public Health Communication for the Next Pandemic? Tackling Distrust and Misinformation Is Key
There's a common thread linking our experience of pandemics over the past 700 years. From the black death in the 14th century to COVID in the 21st, public health authorities have… Read more »
October 01
Africa: UN Security Council Needs Major Changes - Permanent Seats for African Countries Is Just One
Recently, the US ambassador to the United Nations announced America's support for the creation of two new permanent UN security council seats for African states. Gary Wilson, a… Read more »
Africa: Western Media Outlets Are Trying to Fix Their Racist, Stereotypical Coverage of Africa. Is It Time African Media Did the Same?
Quick question: what do these titles have in common? A Dark Continent Seeking Light; Sure, Ebola is Bad. Africa has Worse, or; Magic and Cannibalism in the African Jungle. You… Read more »
Africa: Why Pay Tax? African Study Finds Trust in Government Is Key
Taxes are important. They're a primary way in which governments fund essential services like healthcare, education, infrastructure and social protection programmes. They are vital… Read more »
Africa: Breast Cancer Is the Most Common Cancer in the World. 5 Reads That Could Save Lives
Every year breast cancer claims more than 650,000 lives worldwide. Read more »
September 30
Africa: Why We Need to Talk About Older People and Climate Change in Africa
Africa is often viewed as a relatively young continent, with less than 7% of the population over 60. But this is set to change. Declining fertility rates and increasing life… Read more »
September 26
Africa: What Pathogen Might Spark the Next Pandemic? How Scientists Are Preparing for 'Disease X'
Before the COVID pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) had made a list of priority infectious diseases. These were felt to pose a threat to international public health, but… Read more »
Africa: David Olusoga's New Book Joins the Struggle to Make Black History Mainstream
For decades, Black history in the UK has been siloed from the mainstream, as if incidental to the nation's history. Black History Month in October is dedicated to celebrating Black… Read more »
The Conversation Africa (Johannesburg)
The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public. Our team of professional editors work with university, CSIRO and research institute experts to unlock their knowledge for use by the wider public. Access to independent, high-quality, authenticated, explanatory journalism underpins a functioning democracy. Our aim is to allow for better understanding of current affairs and complex issues. And hopefully allow for a better quality of public discourse and conversations.
Website: https://theconversation.com/africa
