February 05
Africa: Why Do People and Animals Need to Breathe? a Biologist Explains Why You Need a Constant Source of Oxygen
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 »
February 07
Africa: Demography and Reproductive Rights Are Environmental Issues - Insights From Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa's population is growing three times faster than the rest of the world with an average of 4.6 births per woman in 2021. By comparison, the fertility rate in… Read more »
February 06
Africa: Microplastics Found in Nile River's Tilapia Fish - New Study
The Nile is one of the world's most famous rivers. It's also Africa's most important freshwater system. About 300 million people live in the 11 countries it flows through. Many… Read more »
February 05
Africa: A New Virus-Like Entity Has Just Been Discovered - 'Obelisks' Explained
Biological entities called obelisks have been hiding - in large numbers - inside the human mouth and gut. These microscopic entities, which were recently discovered by a team at… Read more »
South Africa: Thirty Years of Rural Health Research - South Africa's Agincourt Studies Offer Unique Insights
In 1992 a group of academics from the University of the Witwatersrand introduced a health and socio-demographic surveillance system in remote, rural South Africa to track and… Read more »
February 02
Cape Verde: Cape Verde Is the Third African Country to Eliminate Malaria - Here's How
Cape Verde has been certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization. Read more »
January 26
Africa: Certain Indoor Air Pollutants Can Be Absorbed Through the Skin - Here's What You Need to Know
Even though most of us will spend a majority of our lives indoors, that doesn't mean we aren't still exposed to air pollution. Indoor air contains a wide array of pollutants… Read more »
January 29
Africa: Neglected Tropical Diseases Persist in the World's Poorest Places
It's sobering to reflect that "neglected tropical diseases" are referred to as "neglected" because they persist in the poorest, most marginalised communities even after being wiped… Read more »
Kenya: Healthcare Workers Abuse a Third of Young Mums From Informal Settlements - Study
Adolescent pregnancy is a global public health concern: in 2022, about 13% of girls and young women gave birth before the age of 18. Read more »
January 25
Africa: One in Twenty People Has No Sense of Smell - Here's How They Might Get It Back
During the pandemic, a lost sense of smell was quickly identified as one of the key symptoms of COVID. Nearly four years later, one in five people in the UK is living with a… Read more »
January 16
Africa: What Happens to Your Liver When You Quit Alcohol
According to Greek mythology, Zeus punished Prometheus for giving fire to humans. He chained Prometheus up and set an eagle to feast on his liver. Each night, the liver grew back… Read more »
January 25
Africa: The Emergence of Jn.1 Is an Evolutionary 'Step Change' in the Covid Pandemic. Why Is This Significant?
Since it was detected in August 2023, the JN.1 variant of COVID has spread widely. It has become dominant in Australia and around the world, driving the biggest COVID wave seen in… Read more »
January 15
Africa: First Polar Bear to Die of Bird Flu - What Are the Implications?
Climate change is a threat to polar bear's survival. Now they have a new deadly challenge facing them: bird flu. It was recently confirmed that a polar bear from northern Alaska… Read more »
January 08
Africa: How to Maintain a Healthy Gut Microbiome in 2024
We all know by now that the pillars of a healthy lifestyle are regular exercise, eating enough fruit and vegetables, a good night's sleep and staying hydrated. All of these things… Read more »
January 19
Africa: Measles Is the Most Infectious Disease Known to Science - Adults Should Consider Getting Another MMR Vaccine
Imagine a disease more infectious than any other known to medical science, that would kill 2.6 million young children every year and leave millions more with deafness and even… Read more »
January 22
Africa: Health, Safety Compromised for People Living With Long Covid and Intimate Partner Violence
What happens when a person is experiencing long COVID and intimate partner violence at the same time? There has been no attention paid to this question anywhere in the world since… Read more »
January 23
Africa: Strep A Explainer - Why Invasive Cases Are Increasing, How It Spreads and What Symptoms to Look for
A jump in the number of people with serious illness caused by group A Streptococcus -- also referred to as Streptococcus pyogenes or Strep A -- has made headlines recently. There… Read more »
January 24
Africa: Five Books About the Covid Pandemic to Look Out for in 2024
Vi-fi, short for virus fiction, describes contemporary fiction that features the devastating events of world-changing outbreaks and epidemics. Rooted in science fiction, vi-fi… Read more »
January 23
Africa: How Long Does Immunity Last After a Covid Infection?
Nearly four years into the pandemic, Australia, like many other countries, is still seeing large numbers of COVID cases. Some 860,221 infections were recorded around the country in… Read more »
January 22
Africa: Good Lunchboxes - Here's How Parents Can Prepare Healthy Food and Keep Costs Down
Heading back to school is a time of great anticipation for many families, but it is not without challenges. One of the big challenges is preparing healthy, easy, affordable and… Read more »
January 18
Africa: Excessive Social Media Use During the Covid-19 Pandemic Exacerbated Adolescent Mental Health Challenges
How does time spent online, and especially social media, affect the brains and behaviours of children and youth? Read more »
Africa: Students Do Better and Schools Are More Stable When Teachers Get Mental Health Support
When it comes to mental health at school, typically the focus is on helping students, especially as they emerge from the pandemic with heightened levels of anxiety, stress and… Read more »
January 15
Africa: Ultra-Processed Foods - Here's What the Evidence Actually Says About Them
The perils of ultra-processed foods received widespread coverage in recent months - thanks in no small part to the publication and promotion of TV presenter and doctor of virology… Read more »
January 17
Africa: Caffeine - Here's How Quitting Can Benefit Your Health
Caffeine is the most consumed psychoactive compound in the world. Even if you don't drink coffee or tea, you probably still regularly consume caffeine since it's found in… Read more »
January 19
South Africa: Jobs in South Africa - the Labour Market Is Recovering From Covid - but Unskilled and Less Educated People Are Still Being Left Behind
For more than three decades the South African economy has had very high rates of joblessness. The country's economy has been unable to create enough jobs for its growing army of… Read more »