November 20, 2023
Libya: Libyan Desert's Yellow Glass - How We Discovered the Origin of These Rare and Mysterious Shards
The Great Sand Sea Desert stretches over an area of 72,000km2 linking Egypt and Libya. If you find yourself in a particular part of the desert in south-east Libya and south-western… Read more »
October 24, 2023
Africa: Tiny and Mysterious - Research Sheds Light On Sub-Saharan Africa's Seahorses, Pipefish and Pipehorses
Seahorses are considered fabled creatures by many; something that only exists in old mythical tales of the ocean. But these curious animals really exist - and they're not the only… Read more »
Nigeria: Kola Nut - From Nanofertiliser to Protecting Metals From Corrosion - Our Research Finds New Uses for the Valuable Plant
The kola nut tree is grown for its seed. The tree is indigenous to west Africa, where it is widely cultivated. It's now also found in Asia, South America and the Caribbean. Read more »
October 19, 2023
Namibia: Namibia and Angola's Remote Ovahimba Mountains Reveal a Haven for Unique Plants - New Survey
The Kaokoveld region, covering north-western Namibia and south-western Angola, is one of the remotest areas in southern Africa. Although it's extremely dry, it is a centre of… Read more »
September 27, 2023
South Africa: Meteorite Discovery - Unusual Finds By South African Farmer Add to Space Rock Heritage
Meteorites - fragments of rock that have fallen to Earth from space in spectacularly fiery meteors - have been the subject of public fascination, awe, myths and even religious… Read more »
September 25, 2023
Morocco: Giant Sea Lizards - Fossils in Morocco Reveal the Astounding Diversity of Marine Life 66 Million Years Ago, Just Before the Asteroid Hit
Sixty-six million years ago, the Cretaceous period ended. Dinosaurs disappeared, along with around 90% of all species on Earth. The patterns and causes of this extinction have been… Read more »
September 22, 2023
South Africa: Hominin Fossils Were Sent Into Space and Scientists Are Enraged
When a Virgin Galactic commercial flight soared into space on 8 September 2023, there were two Virgin Galactic pilots, an instructor and three passengers on board - as well as two… Read more »
September 21, 2023
Africa: Invasive Alien Species Are a Serious Threat to the Planet - 4 Key Messages for Africa
Climate change has negatively - and irreversibly, in some cases - affected ecosystems around the globe. Sadly, though, it is not the only phenomenon that's altering our natural… Read more »
September 20, 2023
Africa: Your Unique Body Odor Could Identify Who You Are and Provide Insights Into Your Health - All From the Touch of a Hand
From the aroma of fresh-cut grass to the smell of a loved one, you encounter scents in every part of your life. Not only are you constantly surrounded by odor, you're also… Read more »
Africa: Five Golden Rules for Effective Science Communication - Perspectives From a Documentary Maker
Over the past three years, people from all walks of life have learned a great deal about different branches of science. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced many of us to information… Read more »
September 11, 2023
Morocco: What Caused Morocco's Earthquake? a Geologist Studying the Atlas Mountains Explains
The epicentre of Morocco's devastating earthquake on 8 September was in the High Atlas Mountains, about 71km south-west of Marrakesh. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa,… Read more »
August 29, 2023
Africa: Sahara Space Rock 4.5 Billion Years Old Upends Assumptions About the Early Solar System
In May 2020, some unusual rocks containing distinctive greenish crystals were found in the Erg Chech sand sea, a dune-filled region of the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. Read more »
August 18, 2023
Africa: How Genetically Modifying Mosquitoes Could Strengthen the World's War On Malaria
It's been 126 years since British medical doctor Sir Ronald Ross discovered that mosquitoes in the Anopheles family are primarily responsible for transmitting malaria parasites… Read more »
August 14, 2023
Southern Africa: Fossil Footprint Discoveries and What They Tell Us
Footprints on a sandy surface don't usually last long: they're washed away by water, wiped out by wind or covered over by new tracks. At certain sites in southern Africa, though,… Read more »
August 10, 2023
Africa: Heritage Algorithms Combine the Rigours of Science With the Infinite Possibilities of Art and Design
The model of democracy in the 1920s is sometimes called "the melting pot" - the dissolution of different cultures into an American soup. An update for the 2020s might be "open… Read more »
August 03, 2023
Africa: Immune Cells That Fight Cancer Become Exhausted Within Hours of First Encountering Tumors - New Research
A key function of our immune system is to detect and eliminate foreign pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Immune cells like T cells do this by distinguishing between different… Read more »
Lesotho: Dinosaur Tracksite in Lesotho - How a Wrong Turn Led to an Exciting Find
I am a poor navigator. This is not an easy thing for a field geologist to admit. We need to be able to find our planned area of interest in good time and make our way back to our… Read more »
July 18, 2023
Africa: The Hidden Cost of the AI Boom - Social and Environmental Exploitation
Mainstream conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) have been dominated by a few key concerns, such as whether superintelligent AI will wipe us out, or whether AI will… Read more »
July 04, 2023
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 »
July 05, 2023
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 »
June 20, 2023
Africa: Scientific Fraud Is Rising, and Automated Systems Won't Stop It. We Need Research Detectives
Fraud in science is alarmingly common. Sometimes researchers lie about results and invent data to win funding and prestige. Other times, researchers might pay to stage and publish… Read more »
June 12, 2023
Africa: Betelgeuse - Star Is Continuing to Behave Mysteriously - Here's What Would Happen If It Exploded
The bright, red star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion has shown some unexpected behaviour. In late 2019 and 2020 it became fainter than we had ever seen it - at least in… Read more »
June 06, 2023
Africa: Nearly 20% of Cultural Differences Between Societies Boil Down to Ecological Factors - New Research
In some parts of the world, the rules are strict; in others they are far more lax. In some places, people are likely to plan for the future, while in others people are more likely… Read more »
June 05, 2023
Africa: The World's First Flowers Were Pollinated By Insects
Plants existed on Earth for hundreds of millions of years before the first flowers bloomed. But when flowering plants did evolve, more than 140 million years ago, they were a huge… Read more »
May 23, 2023
Africa: Ancient Humans May Have Paused in Arabia for 30,000 Years On Their Way Out of Africa
Most scientists agree modern humans developed in Africa, more than 200,000 years ago, and that a great human diaspora across much of the rest of the world occurred between perhaps… Read more »