The abrupt withdrawal of Kenya’s main opposition candidate Raila Odinga from the rescheduled presidential election affects the country’s steady if turbulent democratic transition in which he’s been a central player for decades. Dominic Burbidge fears that Odinga may also have touched off the end of his long political career.

Since 2006 more than 520 attacks on people with albinism in 28 countries have been recorded. In Tanzania especially, people with albinism face a range of prejudices and social stigmas. But, as Jean Burke writes, a number of cultural projects has successfully raised awareness of their rights.

This year sees the centennial anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Women are often relegated to cameos in this epoch-making event. That is unacceptable, argues Vashna Jagarnath, because women played decisive and revolutionary roles even before the Russian Revolution.

There’s a growing body of evidence that indicates the transition from archaic to modern humans happened earlier than previously thought. Marlize Lombard explains how an ancient DNA project has added to our knowledge and helped to recalculate the time at which Homo sapiens first split or branched from archaic or pre-modern human groups to between 350 000 and 260 000 years ago.