October 28, 2022
Africa: Zombie Worlds - Five Spooky Planets Orbiting Dead Stars
All stars, including the Sun, have a finite lifetime. Stars shine by the process of nuclear fusion in which lighter atoms, such as hydrogen, fuse together to create heavier ones.… Read more »
Nigeria: Abuja Terror Alert - Nigerian Government Should Not Downplay the Threat
Terrorism is one of the world's greatest security challenges. Trying to predict it is an important part of the effort to counter terrorism. Read more »
October 27, 2022
Africa: Fermented Foods and Fibre May Lower Stress Levels - New Study
When it comes to dealing with stress, we're often told the best things we can do are exercise, make time for our favourite activities or try meditation or mindfulness. Read more »
Africa: Coffin? Casket? Cremation? How to Make Your Death More Environmentally Friendly #AfricaClimateCrisis
We can all agree humans need to reduce their impact on the environment. And while most of us think of this in terms of daily activities - such as eating less meat, or being… Read more »
Algeria: The French-Algerian War - 60 Years On, What Is Behind France's Reconciliation Agenda?
If you cross the Seine in the centre of Paris at the iconic Pont Saint-Michel and walk along the promenade, you may glimpse a small plaque on your way towards the steps that lead… Read more »
East Africa: Droughts Don't Need to Result in Famine - Ethiopia and Somalia Show What Makes the Difference
The Horn of Africa is facing its worst drought in 40 years. Scientists suspect that a multi-year La Niña cycle has been amplified by climate change to prolong dry and hot… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Education for Entrepreneurs Needs to Keep It Real, Not Just in the Classroom
Africa is home to over 200 million people aged between 15 and 24, according to UN data. The continent has the largest population of young people in the world. Read more »
South Africa: Multiparty Democracy Is in Trouble - Collapsing Coalitions Are a Sure Sign
South Africa's 28-year-old, continuously transforming multiparty democracy was reminded of its own fragility when, in September, a coalition running its biggest city, Johannesburg,… Read more »
Africa: Elon Musk Takes Twitter Private - Here's What That Means for the Company and Its Chances of Success
Elon Musk has finally completed his US$44 billion deal to acquire Twitter and take it private. Read more »
Africa: Covid Vaccines Don't Just Benefit Physical Health - They Improve Mental Health Too
The considerable physical health benefits of COVID vaccines, in particular, the significantly reduced risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death from the virus, are well… Read more »
Africa: Long Covid - How Lost Connections Between Nerve Cells in the Brain May Explain Cognitive Symptoms
For a portion of people who get COVID, symptoms continue for months or even years after the initial infection. This is commonly referred to as "long COVID". Read more »
Africa: A New Way to Name Bacteria - 300-Year-Old System Revised Thanks to Scientific Advances
Nearly 300 years ago the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus secured his place in scientific history when he created what's known as the binomial system. The year was 1737 and, due to… Read more »
Africa: The Unusual Ways Viruses and Parasites Use Their Cell Membranes to Spread - and How Scientists Are Fighting Back
Cell membranes make up the exterior of all cells and are a basic structure found in most living organisms. But they can also help parasites survive in the human body, play an… Read more »
October 26, 2022
Africa: South Africa's Wildlife Ranches Can Offer Solutions to Africa's Growing Conservation Challenges
Designated protected areas for wildlife - such as national parks - are the world's principal conservation strategy. But this model to conserve wildlife in Africa is increasingly… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya Has Lifted Its Ban On Genetically Modified Crops - the Risks and Opportunities
Kenya recently lifted a ban on the cultivation and importation of genetically modified crops amid the worst drought in 40 years and soaring food prices. This includes white maize,… Read more »
Somalia: Four Lessons From Past Experience of Dealing With Famine
Since 1990 the world's famines have been classified as small - with the glaring exceptions of Somalia in 1991-92 and 2010-12. Now the UN's World Food Programme says that nearly… Read more »
Kenya: Covid and Health Workers' Strike - How Kenya's Health Services Coped in Times of Crisis
When epidemics break out and public health emergencies are declared, people shy away from seeking care for other conditions. This may seem counter-intuitive at first glance. But it… Read more »
South Africa: Legal Sex Work in South Africa Won't Create New Problems, Just Help Solve Old Ones
South Africa's post apartheid government has been toying with the idea of decriminalising sex work for almost two decades. But it has hesitated to act with the necessary courage to… Read more »
Africa: RSV - a Pediatric Disease Expert Answers 5 Questions About the Surging Outbreak of Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Respiratory syncytial virus, more commonly known as RSV, sends thousands of children to the hospital every year in the U.S. But during September and October 2022, health… Read more »
South Africa: Crime, Covid and Climate Change - South African Tourism Faces Many Threats, but It's Resilient
South Africa's tourism industry has been rocked by the murder of a German visitor during an attempted robbery. The development resulted in negative media publicity, with a… Read more »
October 25, 2022
South Africa: Covid Is a 'Smart Virus' That Can Affect DNA - but That Doesn't Mean You Can Pass It On to Your Kids
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) has changed the world as we know it. Although new vaccines and antiviral treatments have brought hope, the pesky virus has… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya's Big Railway Project Makes Life Even Harder for the Poor By Ignoring Their Reality
People's responses to large infrastructure projects - railways, bridges, highways - are rarely neutral. To some, these projects represent powerful social and political promises of… Read more »
Africa: Four Ways to Support a Friend or Loved One With Long Covid
An estimated 2.3 million people in the UK are currently living with long COVID. The condition is most commonly reported by people aged 35-69, but it can affect people of any age.… Read more »
Ghana: Ghana's Economic Crisis - Expert Insights Into How Things Got So Bad - and What the Fixes Are
Ghana is grappling with runaway inflation as prices of basic commodities have spiralled. Government finances are also at their weakest in years. Ghana's local currency, the cedi,… Read more »
South Africa: Apartheid 'Town Planning' Created Orlando 90 Years Ago. It Became a Hotbed of Black Resistance
Orlando East, a working class community on the periphery of Johannesburg in South Africa, has turned 90 years old. Orlando was one of the first municipal locations - called… Read more »