August 07
Africa: Fewer Car Journeys and More Flights - How Covid-19 Has Changed the Way We Travel
Four years after the outbreak of Covid-19, the pandemic seems like a distant memory for many. Yet its impacts on our lifestyle today are often profound and long-lasting, with many… Read more »
South Africa: Seasickness - We Built a Digital Monitoring System On a South African Research Ship to Help Manage It
I've always been intrigued by the ocean, drawn to its mystery and sheer immensity. So I was excited when, in 2019, I identified a topic for my postgraduate studies that gave me a… Read more »
Southern Africa: Southern Africa May Get a Regional Parliament - What Good Would It Do - If It's Given Enough Power?
Plans to establish a regional parliament for southern Africa are gaining momentum. On 11 July 2024, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed the agreement to transform the… Read more »
August 06
Africa: Would You Trust an Ant to Amputate Your Limb? Science Is Showing They Are Skilled Surgeons
An insect bites off another insect's leg. Is this predatory behaviour, aggression, defence, competition or something else? In the case of carpenter ants, it's for the good of the… Read more »
Africa: Astronomy 'Olympics' Is Being Hosted in Africa for the First Time
Cutting-edge telescopes, gravitational waves, black holes and our solar system's central star, the Sun, are just a few of the topics that will be on the table in Cape Town, South… Read more »
Mali: Mali's Kora Star Toumani Diabaté - a Personal Reflection By His Music Producer
The untimely death of Mali's Toumani Diabaté at the age of 58 has shocked the music world. The sheer number of tributes, including those from superstar African musicians… Read more »
Africa: Teenage Girls in Africa Face Shocking Rates of Physical and Sexual Abuse in Intimate Relationships - New Global Report
Nearly a quarter of adolescent girls between the ages of 15 and 19 who have been in a relationship will have suffered intimate partner violence by the time they turn 20. This is… Read more »
August 05
Africa: Love for Cats Lures Students Into This Course, Which Uses Feline Research to Teach Science
Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Read more »
Nigeria: Babies in Nigeria Are Being Born With Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
Sepsis occurs when one's immune system has an extreme response to an infection. It's a life-threatening condition: globally, it accounts for about 11 million deaths - 20% of all… Read more »
Algeria: Women's Boxing in Olympic Storm - Who Is Algeria's Imane Khelif and What Are the Issues She's Facing?
Imane Khelif from Algeria is one of two women boxers at the 2024 Paris Olympics making the news - as ugly issues of gender testing and testosterone levels once again raise their… Read more »
Africa: Ethnicity, Race and Health Equity - 3 Lessons From the Covid-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for robust and equitable public health systems in Canada that address the population's diverse needs. One of the most… Read more »
Africa: African Communities Have a Lot of Knowledge to Share - Researchers Offer Alternatives to Eurocentric Ways of Doing Things
The dominance of western methodology in research conducted in Africa continues to preoccupy academics. The result, they argue, has been the silencing of Indigenous knowledge.… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's First Space Traveller Will Be Chosen By the Public - How This Will Boost the Country's Progress
The Blue Origin space craft owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is to take six individuals to space from nations historically underrepresented in space exploration. Nigeria is one… Read more »
Ghana: Data Protection Is Poor for African Farmers Who Use Digital Services - Kenya and Ghana Cases Highlight Gaps
Across Africa, agricultural producers are turning to digital solutions to get information about farming methods, market access or financial services. By 2022, there were 666 of… Read more »
Algeria: Imane Khelif - the Algerian Boxer Who Overcame an Ugly Gender Furore to Win Olympic Gold
Imane Khelif's gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics meant also overcoming a furore that erupted around her and another boxer earlier in the games. Ugly issues of gender identity,… Read more »
August 04
Africa: Why Africa's Slums are Among the World's Most Vibrant Business Hotspots
In the classic tale of economic development, urbanisation and industrialisation have generally gone hand-in-hand. Cities coalesce around factories; factories fuel urban growth by… Read more »
Niger: U.S. Military Is Leaving Niger Even Less Secure - Why It Didn't Succeed in Combating Terrorism
The United States is winding down its military operations in Niger ahead of a mid-September deadline agreed with the country's ruling military junta. Read more »
Tanzania: Young, Urban, African - Research Explores What It Means to Be a Good Citizen in Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania
Young people between the ages of 18 and 35 make up two-thirds of Africa's population. The number is expected to reach 75% by 2030. They live in an environment of rapid… Read more »
August 02
Africa: The Higgs Particle Could Have Ended the Universe By Now - Here's Why We're Still Here
Although our universe may seem stable, having existed for a whopping 13.7 billion years, several experiments suggest that it is at risk - walking on the edge of a very dangerous… Read more »
Egypt: How the Last Meal of a 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Crocodile Was Brought Back to Life Using Modern Science
What do you think of when you think about ancient Egyptian mummies? Perhaps your mind takes you back to a school trip to the museum, when you came face to face with a mummified… Read more »
Mozambique: Mozambique's Transgender History Is On Display in a Powerful Photo Exhibition
A pioneering queer photo exhibition that was staged 20 years ago in Mozambique and South Africa has found new life and a new audience. Manas 2000-2024, by the Danish photographer… Read more »
South Africa: South African Accountancy Students Struggle to Overcome Disadvantages - What Lecturers Can Do Differently
In recent decades, student numbers have risen at higher education institutions in many parts of the world. This has opened doors for students who might have been excluded before.… Read more »
August 01
Senegal: Giant Pangolin Rediscovered in Senegal
In March 2023, temperatures in eastern Senegal soared to 40°C, with the cooling rains still months away. Yet, for the dedicated field team from the NGO Panthera - committed to… Read more »
Ghana: Ghana Elections - Ethnicity Is Not Allowed in the Country's Politics, Yet It Still Helps Shape Outcomes
Ghana, which has more than 70 ethnic groups, has been among the most stable democracies in Africa since 1992. It has achieved this by outlawing the use of ethnicity in party… Read more »
Africa: Paris Olympics 2024 - Faster, Higher, Stronger - and More Data-Driven
For the first post-COVID Olympics, there are some major changes now in place at the Paris 2024 Games. First of all, there are no physical tickets for visitors. All tickets are… Read more »