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A new discovery in Blombos Cave in South Africa’s southern Cape region suggests that our ancestors were drawing earlier than we thought. The find, a cross-hatched drawing made with an ochre crayon on a silcrete (stone) flake, is 73 000 years old. Christopher Henshilwood and Karen Loise van Niekerk explain the drawing’s significance.
South Africa has just released its latest crime statistics. They confirm that the country has very high levels of violent crime. Even the country’s minister of police expressed dismay at the numbers. One immediate response was to call for more policing. But Anine Kriegler warns that this won’t solve the problem because high levels of violence are not a matter of police resources, they are a structural feature of a society.
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The drawing found on silcrete stone in Blombos Cave.
Craig Foster
Christopher Henshilwood, University of Bergen; Karen Loise van Niekerk, University of Bergen
A new discovery adds to our existing understanding of Homo sapiens in Africa.
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South African police on patrol in Hout Bay, Cape Town, following requests for more intervention by locals.
EPA-EFE/Nic Bothma
Anine Kriegler, University of Cape Town
Increasing police patrols won't solve South Africa's high rates of violent crime. Underlying problems need to be addressed.
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Arts + Culture
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GJ Breyley, Monash University
African Australians contribute to all major musical genres - from dance to hip hop and beyond.
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Environment + Energy
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Llewellyn Leonard, University of South Africa
New coal mining operations could threaten
South Africa's Mapungubwe World Heritage Site.
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From our international editions
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Rania Fakhoury, Université Libanaise
Donor-driven e-government projects in developing countries often attempt to transplant what was successful elsewhere. But success requires buy-in from locals – both governments and citizens alike.
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Richard Faragher, University of Brighton
It has recently been suggested that humans could live to 150 by 2020 simply by taking a certain supplement.
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Mark Bourassa, Florida State University; Vasu Misra, Florida State University
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