The real reason why Africa’s borders are so straight is more complicated than most think
Research shows Africa's borders were not entirely arbitrary, shaped instead by negotiations involving precolonial territories and geographical landmarks.
Tag: africa
Ancient Africans played mancala board games etched in rock thousands of years ago
Hidden within Kenya's scenic landscapes, ancient mancala boards etched into rock surfaces tell a tale of communal play and cultural ...
Africa’s grassy habitats emerged much earlier than we thought — and it’s important for ape evolution
This may have driven the evolution of upright apes
The pandemic wrecked the social lives of school kids in the world’s poor countries
The pandemic has messed up many things including the academic and social growth of school children.
Report: Half a billion people in Africa don’t have safe access to water
We take it for granted, but for hundreds of millions of people, water is a scarce treasure.
In parts of Africa, a better economy means less pollution
Fewer people are using fires to manage land, which means less pollution.
How satellite alerts are tackling deforestation across African countries
Millions rely on tropical forests in Africa, such as the Guinean Forests. Thanks to satellites, they can be easier protected.
A second wave is looming over Africa. A locust second wave, that is
UN says more funding is required to help the most-affected countries and avoid widespread famine.
The pandemic is sparing most of Africa and we’re not really sure why
Africa is exhibiting remarkable resilience through the pandemic.
As many as 3.3 million people may die in Africa this year from the coronavirus
Many African countries have no intensive care beds to speak of, besides many other shortages.
Researchers dive deep into the genetic legacy of the transatlantic slave trade
The transatlantic slave trade was at its height between 1750 and 1850. Now, a new study analyzing the genomes of ...
Massive locust swarms hit East Africa
Extreme weather has fueled a plague of millions of desert locust
Ostrich eggshell beads reveal cultural evolution in Africa
Researchers show how cultural changes in Africa over the past 10,000 years can be tracked using the size of eggshell ...
Difficulties in accessing healthcare and bribery goes hand in hand in Africa
Roughly 14% of respondents said they had to bribe to obtain care at least once in the past year.
Wildfires in Africa keep the Amazon lush with fertilizing smoke
Ashes to bananas.
New research paints the history of East Africa’s farmers, and how they evolved to eat dairy
It's a surprisingly rich history.
More than 20 African countries are planting a 8,000-km-long ‘Great Green Wall’
Finally a 'wall' we can all support.
Fossil Friday: Newly-found fossil teeth solve ancient monkey mystery
Take a bite out of this story.
We can eradicate malaria — but we need to use new tricks
Improvise, adapt, eliminate.
DNA sequencing might help finally link smugglers to ivory shipments
There are not many people I dislike as intensely as ivory poachers.
Biologists discover new bird species in Africa — and it’s already in trouble
There's some good news, but also a lot of bad news.
The earliest monument in east Africa was built without anyone being ‘the boss’
Scientists find massive cemetery complex in the plains of Kenya.
Ancient human fossil finger found in Arabia could rewrite our species’ history
A tiny fingerbone is re-writing the story of human dispersal out of Africa.
Big dinosaur is a big piece of evidence for Africa’s geological past
This isn't the last piece of the puzzle -- in fact, it's the very first.
Trump Administration reverses ban on African ivory
Even when you'd think he couldn't possibly stoop any lower, there he is, defying all odds.
Tiny, fossilized ape skull brings us closer to the common human-ape ancestor, fuels debate over humanity’s place of birth
Not bad for such a small thing.
These are the world’s fastest growing cities. They’re all in Africa
Worldwide, more and more people are starting to move from rural areas to urban areas. But nowhere is this as ...
Poachers responsible for 30% drop in savanna elephant populations in Africa
Africa's elephants might become endangered soon because of widespread poaching.
Your party is saved! Scientists find a massive stash of Helium beneath Tanzania
We just bought some more time.
Poachers kill three rangers, wound park manager in Congo
Sad news comes from African wildlife parks again: three rangers were killed in Democratic Republic of Congo's Garamba wildlife park. Two ...
Countries most in need of HIV treatment are least able to afford it
One study estimates that over the next 35 years, nine African countries would have to spend $98 billion to $261 ...
First ancient African genome sequenced
The complete genetic code book of a person who lived 4,500 years ago in Ethiopia was completed by US researchers. ...
New vaccine against Ebola is 100% effective in Guinea trial
“Having seen the devastating effects of Ebola on communities and even whole countries with my own eyes, I am very ...
Pick-a-boo: the secret life of Serengeti wildlife caught in 1.2 million photos
After placing no less than 225 camera traps, a group of researchers has collected a massive database of 1.2 million ...
Leaving the nest: early humans migrated from Africa through North, rather than South
Archaic homo sapiens left Africa, the wellspring of humanity, some 60,000 years ago migrating North, via a route passing through ...
The tragic story of Tanzanian Albinos – hunted for body parts for witchcraft
Most of the time, the so-called civilized world would just rather turn a blind eye towards what is happening in ...
Science in Africa is making steps forward, but it needs leaps
Over the past few years there has been much talk about the importance of scientific development in Africa. With the ...
We are dealing with the worst Ebola outburst in history
Liberian health workers wear protective gear on the way to bury a woman who died of the Ebola virus on ...
Fences threaten local fauna, instead of protecting it
Photo: conservationafrica.net In some parts of the world you can find fences that stretch for hundreds of miles, delimiting protected ...
Early humans responsible for ancient carnivore wipe-out in Africa, not climate change
Millions of years ago, the wild savannas of Africa were teeming with carnivore wildlife, much more diverse than what we ...
Artifacts hint that modern human culture may have emerged in Africa 20,000 years earlier
Workers explore South Africa's Border Cave. A study shows modern culture may have emerged in the area much earlier than ...
New hominid species that lived alongside the famous Lucy was mostly a climber, not a walker
Africa proves yet again that it's the cradle of the hominid family, and in consequence the human species. Scientists have ...
Why do zebras have stripes? To ward off blood-sucking insects
The leading theory that explains why zebras are striped (remember the age old riddle? black stripes on white or white ...
The oldest crocodile so far found was 30 feet long had a shield for a head
Casey Holliday, a University of Missouri researcher, was looking through some of the hundreds of unlabeled items kept in a ...
The PeePoo bag: don’t poop where you eat
Nairobi, Kenya is home to one of the world's biggest slums, more than one million people living in subhuman conditions ...
