insert_link Africa Will Kenya’s strategic mining reforms catalyse a sector renaissance? By Bonface Orucho, via bird story agency Kenya's mining and extractives sector is flourishing, reaping the rewards of recent reforms that promise to increase sector revenues as the country positions itself for economic gains from the burgeoning industry. From legal and legislative reforms to seamless mapping and surveying of available resources, the East African country is showing increased interest in tapping into new revenue-generating opportunities in the sector. […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 8
insert_link Health / Medical Popularly known as ‘gas station heroin,’ tianeptine is being sold as a dietary supplement – with deadly outcomes Neptune’s Fix, a tianeptine-containing “Elixir” as it’s labeled, is one of the most common of these products. U.S. Food and Drug Administration C. Michael White, University of Connecticut The Food and Drug Administration is upping the urgency of its warnings for consumers to avoid purchasing or consuming tianeptine – commonly called “gas station heroin” – a synthetic drug typically sold in tablet or powder form and available for purchase online […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 15
insert_link Africa UNDP’s New $1 Billion Fund Could Boost Africa’s Tech Startups Globally At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Presidents Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, left, and Paul Kagame of Rwanda helped launch the United Nations Development Program’s investment fund directed at tech startups in Africa. Called Timbuktoo, it could cushion the bearish state of venture capital globally. WEF2024 By Damilola Banjo via PassBlue Venture capital funding is shrinking globally, but experts are optimistic that a new $1 billion investment […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 29
insert_link Environment Scientists warn of ‘extinction crisis’ stalking Africa’s raptors An adult secretarybird on a flat-topped tree. Image by LionMountain via Pixabay (Public domain). By Malavika Vyawahare via Mongabay Secretarybirds build their nests high in flat-topped acacia trees to avoid land-bound predators. So when researcher Wesley Gush climbed up those trees to get to their nests, he knew it was a surprise for them. What the nestlings did surprised him too: They played dead, according to Gush. But a new study warns that the […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 21
insert_link Science & Technology Why are so many robots white? This little guy is very cute − and very white. Jiuguang Wang/Flickr, CC BY-SA Mark Paterson, University of Pittsburgh Problems of racial and gender bias in artificial intelligence algorithms and the data used to train large language models like ChatGPT have drawn the attention of researchers and generated headlines. But these problems also arise in social robots, which have physical bodies modeled on nonthreatening versions of humans or animals and […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 16
insert_link Lifestyle Who created the alphabet? A historian describes the millennia-long story of the ABCs Creating the alphabet took thousands of years. kovalchuk/iStock via Getty Images Plus Jane Sancinito, UMass Lowell 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. Who created the alphabet and decided its order? – Priti C., age 12, Mumbai, India A, B, C, D, E, F, G – makes you want to hum the […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 12
insert_link Health / Medical Our sense of taste helps pace our eating – understanding how may lead to new avenues for weight loss A team of scientists uncovers a logic the brainstem uses to control how fast and how much we eat. Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images Zachary Knight, University of California, San Francisco As a scientist who investigates hunger and weight control, I’m interested in the way our brains let us know we’ve had enough. As we begin to feel full, we slow down how quickly we eat. For decades, scientists have thought that […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 11
insert_link Namibia ACC and TAIEX host anti-corruption workshop The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is hosting an anti-corruption framework workshop in Windhoek this week in partnership with the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) instrument of the European Commission. The three-day workshop started on Monday. Its objectives align with the execution of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan of 2021-2025, with the focus on Act 2.1.3 which focuses on establishing a comprehensive framework at national level to conduct […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 26
insert_link Science & Technology In the market for a car? Soon you’ll be able to buy a Hyundai on Amazon − and only a Hyundai Hyundai and Amazon announced a big partnership in November 2023. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Vivek Astvansh, McGill University This is the year you can finally buy a car on Amazon. Well, one kind. Eventually. On Nov. 16, 2023, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Amazon and Hyundai made a big announcement: Starting sometime in 2024, a new pilot program would let shoppers not only browse Hyundai cars on Amazon.com but pay […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 44