insert_link Environment Bird flu: what is it, how does it spread and how can we protect ourselves from it? By Daniel Oladimeji Oluwayelu, University of Ibadan There has been an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital. The viral disease, also called avian influenza, killed 441 chickens out of a flock of 641 on a farm. There have been several outbreaks bird flu across Africa over the past 18 years. Nigeria was the first African country to report an outbreak in February 2006. […] todayMarch 25, 2024 16
insert_link 2 Africa Largest frog in more than 100 years discovered in Africa By Bertie Jacobs A new species of African bullfrog has been discovered in northeastern Namibia, southern Angola, southwestern Zambia and northwestern Botswana. It is the largest frog species discovered in more than 100 years. The largest specimen found is 210 millimetres long and weighs 1 kilogram. Once there were three, now there are four. Professor Louis du Preez, from the North-West University (NWU) in South Africa, and […] todayMarch 25, 2024 116 2
insert_link Environment Chimpanzees stayed in an ‘invisible cage’ after zoo enclosure was enlarged – South African study By Luke Mangaliso Duncan, University of Warwick Captive chimpanzees are one of the most popular species kept in zoos because of their charismatic appeal and similarity to humans. They are the closest living relatives of humans because of the shared genes and behavioural and psychological similarities. Zoos are ethically bound to care for the animals they house. Many provide environments that care for animals’ welfare needs. However, the […] todayMarch 22, 2024 24
insert_link Africa School’s out: how climate change is already badly affecting children’s education The education of students in countries like Sudan is already being negatively affected by the extremes of climate change. Richard Juilliart/Shutterstock By Caitlin M Prentice, University of Oslo; Francis Vergunst, University of Oslo; Helen Louise Berry, Macquarie University, and Kelton Minor, Columbia University Schools across South Sudan have been ordered to close as a heat wave of 45°C sweeps across the country. In recent years, severe flooding has […] todayMarch 22, 2024 38
insert_link Africa Pangolins in Africa: expert unpacks why millions have been traded illegally and what can be done about it By Olajumoke Morenikeji, University of Ibadan Pangolins are fascinating creatures known for their unique appearance and distinctive scales. They are mammals belonging to the order Pholidota and are native to Africa and Asia. Due to their primary diet of ants and termites, pangolins are often referred to as “scaly anteaters”. The African pangolin species are dispersed throughout southern, western, central and east Africa. Pangolins face rapid […] todayMarch 22, 2024 63
insert_link Africa Duckbill dinosaur discovery in Morocco – expert unpacks the mystery of how they got there By Nicholas R. Longrich, University of Bath Why are fossils of duckbill dinosaurs, a North American family, found in North Africa? Dinosaurs couldn’t just walk there. Sixty-six million years ago, when duckbills suddenly appear in Africa’s fossil record, the world’s land masses formed a series of islands. A seaway divided eastern and western North America; Europe was an archipelago. South America, India, Australia and Madagascar were all island […] todayMarch 22, 2024 28
insert_link Environment 76% of Africa’s energy could come from renewable sources by 2040: here’s how By Christiane Zarfl, University of Tübingen and Rebecca Peters, University of Tübingen Over half of Africa’s people – about 600 million – lack access to even the bare minimum of electricity. The tough question to answer is how access can be extended without adding to global warming by relying on fossil fuels. We – a team from Rwanda and Germany who work in the field of renewable […] todayMarch 19, 2024 51
insert_link Africa New ecoregion proposed for Southern Africa’s threatened ‘sky islands’ By Ryan Truscott There is an “inland archipelago” of mountains stretching across southern Malawi and northern Mozambique — a chain of hard granite inselbergs lifted high above the surrounding landscape as it weathered down over millions of years. These “sky islands”, as they’re also known, are topped with high-altitude grasslands and evergreen forests and watered by cool moist winds from the Indian Ocean to the east. A group […] todayMarch 18, 2024 47
insert_link Environment Toilet paper: Environmentally impactful, but alternatives are rolling out By Petro Kotzé Toilet paper is so common in some countries it’s only noticed when it’s not there, as exemplified by the panic buying that prompted shortages when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Thought to be in use in China since the sixth century, inventor Joseph C. Gayetty patented the first U.S. commercial “medicated paper” in the 1850s. Since then, demand has soared in many places, bolstered by rising population, […] todayMarch 18, 2024 90