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East Africa’s migrating wildebeest are in trouble. They rely on being able move to find food, water and safe places to give birth. But their migration routes are being cut off by fences, settlements, farms and roads. They also have less to eat and the areas where they roam are getting smaller. Joseph Ogutu unpacks new research that reveals just how bad the problem is: four of the region’s five contemporary migrations have virtually collapsed.
Zoonotic diseases, which can pass between animals and people, occur in many parts of the world. Examples include Ebola, rabies and Rift Valley Fever. These can be treated by helping to keep animals and humans apart, by vaccinating the animals in question, or by vaccinating the potentially affected humans. But what about developing one vaccine that protects both humans and animals? George Warimwe explains why he and his colleagues are using this approach to try and tackle Rift Valley Fever.
In today’s edition of Pasha, we look at the difficulties of being a black woman forging a career in science. Ndoni Mcunu discusses her experiences and the importance of role models in providing support and guidance.
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White-bearded wildebeest migrate through the Mara.
Jane Rix/Shutterstock
Joseph Ogutu, University of Hohenheim
Four of the five contemporary migrations in East Africa are severely threatened and have virtually collapsed.
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Soon, this farmer and her goats could be treated with the same vaccine.
ILRI, Zerihun Sewunet/flickr
George Warimwe, University of Oxford
Rift Valley Fever infects millions of humans and livestock in Africa and Arabia. To fight it, scientists are developing a first of its kind vaccine that can be used on humans and animals.
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Politics + Society
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Lindie Koorts, University of the Free State
South African lawyer Bram Fischer has been idealised in a post-1994 context. He was raised in a position of privilege, but he used it to defy the injustice of the society that raised him.
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Thomas McNamara, Université de Liège
The mere presence of NGOs, no matter their size or aims, inadvertently reduced the legitimacy of local village headmen.
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Podcasts
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Ozayr Patel, The Conversation
Light pollution comes with numerous problems.
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Ozayr Patel, The Conversation
Black women face a number of challenges in trying to become scientists.
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From our international editions
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Michelle Lim, University of Adelaide
The Global Assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services has some sobering news.
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Charles Hankla, Georgia State University
Trump's embrace of bilateralism in trade relations has pernicious long-term consequences, including ratcheting up the odds of violent conflict.
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Marshall Rogers-Martinez, University of Southern California
North Korea is a major military threat to the US and its Asian allies, but exactly how powerful are its nuclear weapons? An earth scientist explains why it's hard to answer this question.
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Susan Hazel, University of Adelaide
Horses can stand on three legs and rest the other leg. They can change the leg they rest so that all of their legs get a chance to have a break.
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