insert_link Africa Ghana won Afcon four times, but the last time was 40 years ago. What went wrong with its football team? By Ernest Yeboah Acheampong, University of Education, Winneba The Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is the most important football tournament in Africa. It has been contested by the male national teams of countries on the continent since 1957. Egypt is the most successful country in the tournament’s history, with seven wins, the most recent in 2010. Previously, Ghana was the dominant force with four wins. In spite of producing […] today18 January, 2024
insert_link Opinion Pieces Give Peace a Chance in Yemen Despite Regional Violence A screen grab of a Houthi video capturing the militia’s seizure of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea, Nov. 19, 2023. The Houthis still control the ship. As violence between the rebels and certain Western countries rises, the author writes that the Omani-led peace deal for Yemen is still viable. EMILY SCHRADER/TWITTER By Arwa Mokdad via PassBlue The relentless bombardment in Gaza by Israel Defense Forces is […] today18 January, 2024
insert_link Africa Mozambique’s cyclone flooding was devastating to animals – we studied how body size affected survival By Jason P. Marshal, University of the Witwatersrand and Francesca Parrini, University of the Witwatersrand Anyone who watches the news will have seen the devastation that tropical cyclones can cause when they reach land, with very strong winds, high rainfall and flooding. A cyclone like this, Idai, moved over Gorongosa National Park in central Mozambique in March 2019. At that time, it was the deadliest storm in Africa. Rainfall […] today18 January, 2024
insert_link Environment Agricultural nitrogen pollution is global threat, but circular solutions await By Claire Asher via MongaBay As the world grapples with escalating climate change, policymakers remain laser-focused on CO2, with humanity striving to decarbonize energy systems, capture carbon, issue carbon credits, and plant millions of trees to absorb emissions. But carbon dioxide is just one of several powerful greenhouse gases destabilizing the global climate, and just one of the human-produced pollutants severely impacting the natural world and threatening to push Earth out […] today18 January, 2024
insert_link Africa DR Congo’s election – the key to Félix Tshisekedi’s victory By Albert Kasanda, Czech Academy of Sciences On Sunday 31 December 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) announced the preliminary results of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidential election held on 20 December. The incumbent president, Félix Tshisékédi, was declared the winner with 73.34% of the votes cast, while Moise Katumbi was credited with 18.03% and Martin Fayulu with 5.33%. There have been calls to cancel the elections […] today18 January, 2024
insert_link Health / Medical Kush: what is this dangerous new west African drug that supposedly contains human bones? DeanP/Shutterstock Michael Cole, Anglia Ruskin University A new drug called kush is wreaking havoc in west Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone where it is estimated to kill around a dozen people each week and hospitalise thousands. The drug, taken mostly by men aged 18 to 25, causes people to fall asleep while walking, to fall over, to bang their heads against hard surfaces and to walk into moving traffic. Kush […] today17 January, 2024
insert_link Health / Medical Artificial wombs could someday be a reality – here’s how they may change our notions of parenthood Artificial womb technology could eventually make it possible to grow a foetus from conception to “birth” wholly outside the human body. Marko Aliaksandr/ Shutterstock Stephen Wilkinson, Lancaster University; Nicola J. Williams, Lancaster University, and Sara Fovargue, University of Sheffield Our reproductive lives are considerably different from those of our ancestors, thanks in part to health innovations that have taken place over the past few decades. Practices such as IVF, donor […] today17 January, 2024
insert_link Lifestyle Does having children make you happier? Here’s what the research suggests The happiness and fulfilment you feel with the decision will depend on many different factors. CeltStudio/ Shutterstock Trudy Meehan, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and Jolanta Burke, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences The prevailing belief in many parts of the world is that having children is key to happiness – and that people who don’t have children are unfulfilled in their lives. But is this really […] today17 January, 2024
insert_link Opinion Pieces 3D scanning: we recreated a sacred South African site in a way that captures its spirit A 3D rendering of Ga-Mohana Hill in South Africa, a sacred and important heritage site. Stephen Wessels, CC BY-NC-ND Stephen Wessels, University of Cape Town; Benjamin Schoville, The University of Queensland; Jayne Wilkins, Griffith University, and Sechaba Maape, University of the Witwatersrand These days, if you want to visit remarkable archaeological sites such as Great Zimbabwe or Petra in Jordan you don’t even need to leave your house. 3D scanning […] today17 January, 2024
