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 prevalent as in Africa.
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 others were wounded, including the park manager. Just yesterday we were writing that African park rangers risk their life on a day-to-day basis to protect animals in natural parks, and now this tragedy was reported – and this happens. Armed
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 billion to buy drugs and prevent infections.
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. Although much older genomes have been sequenced, like those of 38,000 year-old Neanderthals, samples from African forefathers have proven difficult to sequence as the DNA is often destroyed by accelerated decay, driven by tropical conditions. As such, this is the first time a complete genome retrieval was performed from an ancient human in Africa. In this light, the findings are very important: they suggest even older DNA could be retrieved – maybe even millions of years back to the age of other species of the homo genus.
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 encouraged by today’s news,” said Børge Brende, the foreign minister of Norway, which helped fund the trial.
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 photos documenting the secret live of the animals that roam Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. The shots offer a raw, unedited glimpse that wouldn’t had been possible otherwise; genuinely up close and personal. So personal that some of the lions and other beasrs in the park went a step too far and tried to eat the cameras. At time, the only thing that was left of the camera was plastic shreds, but luckily some memory cards survived. How often do you get to see the last shot made by a camera? With a lion with a fully open jaws staring right at you, no less.
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 what is known today as Egypt, rather than South, through the Arabian Peninsula, as previously proposed. The findings were reported by an international team of researchers which used novel techniques to produce whole-genome sequences from 225 people from modern Egypt and Ethiopia (six modern Northeast African populations). This is far from the last word, but the picture the researchers paint seems to be consistent with other evidence, such as early human-made tools and human fossils found on the proposed route (Israel), and is in better agreement with what we already know about the genetic mixture of all non-Africans with Neanderthals.
