insert_link Environment Baobab trees all come from Madagascar – new study reveals that their seeds and seedlings floated to mainland Africa and all the way to Australia By Andrew R. Leitch, Queen Mary University of London There are eight species of baobab in the world, and they have a surprising distribution. Six are found in Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean; one is found on the continent of Africa; and the last is far away in Australia. The origin of this group of plants has fascinated people for a long time. […] todayJune 7, 2024 18
insert_link Environment Leopard DNA study in South Africa traces ancestry to ice age – and will guide conservation By Laura Tensen, University of Copenhagen An ice age almost one million years ago led to a meeting between leopards from central and southern Africa that were searching for grassland. New research into the leopards’ genetics – their mitogenome – has revealed that the descendants of these two groups are the leopards found today in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province. One of the researchers, molecular ecologist Laura […] todayMay 17, 2024 31
insert_link Africa Africa’s wildebeest: those that can’t migrate are becoming genetically weaker – new study By Joseph Ogutu, University of Hohenheim Wildebeest – large African antelopes with distinctively curved horns – are famous for their great migrations on the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. One hundred and fifty years ago, they migrated in huge numbers across the continent, in search of grazing and water and to find suitable areas for calving. Migration is crucial to sustain their large populations. But their […] todayApril 15, 2024 43
insert_link Business / Economics Transforming Namibia’s economy with effective trade and industrial Policies Opinion Piece by Josef Kefas Sheehama The political climate in Namibia is among the African most tranquil and stable. In order enhance Namibia's potential growth rate, reforms must be put in place for the country's economy to continue on a sustainable path. One of the main obstacles to Namibia's industrial development, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, has been a lack of human and financial resources. Because institutions […] todayApril 11, 2024 16
insert_link Africa African wild dogs will soon have their own sperm bank – how artificial breeding will help them survive By Damien Boyd Bertrand Paul Paris, James Cook University Scientists from the Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals have been working in southern Africa for over 15 years to protect endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus). They’ve now decided to freeze sperm from as many genetically diverse male African wild dogs as possible and use this to artificially inseminate female African wild dogs for the […] todayApril 11, 2024 4
