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Dogs, large rats and bees all have one thing in common: they are very good at sniffing out landmines. Now, writes Ashadee Kay Miller, another animal has joined the ranks of the super-smellers: African elephants. Their abilities could be harnessed in the early stages of demining operations.
In Mali, nearly half of the population lives under the poverty line. The country’s government believes that exploration of the vast oil and gas reserves in the Taoudeni Basin is the answer to its problems. But as Julie Snorek writes, the opposite may be true. Exploration could trigger a resource curse, exacerbating tensions in the region.
In Egypt during what became known as the Arab Spring women used their identities as mothers to mobilise against authoritarian rule. Anwar Mhajne and Crystal M Whetstone explain how this aspect of political organisation is often ignored in the study of social movements.
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Chishuru, a male African elephant, indicates a target scent during trials.
Graham Alexander
Ashadee Kay Miller, University of the Witwatersrand
Elephants have the highest count of olfactory receptor genes of any species tested to date. This suggests that they may be the best smellers in the animal kingdom.
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Health + Medicine
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Kerrigan McCarthy, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Health authorities in South Africa have launched an investigation to find the food source that has resulted in an unprecedented increase in listeria cases across the country.
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Environment + Energy
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Julie Snorek, Autonomous University of Barcelona
The ‘war on terror' in Mali is building alongside a growing number of multinationals hoping to extract the oil and gas reserves of the Taoudeni basin, and a strong foreign military presence.
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Politics + Society
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Anwar Mhajne, University of Cincinnati ; Crystal M Whetstone, University of Cincinnati
Activists often face intransigent regimes and ruthless warlords. But women can use traditional insights into femininity and motherhood for political mobilisation and resistance.
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Ian Macqueen, University of Pretoria
Inquests into atrocities committed under apartheid are important because many South Africans are beginning to question whether justice was done under the country's truth and reconciliation process.
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From our international editions
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Mireia Jofre-Bonet, City, University of London; Albert Banal-Estanol, City, University of London
Despite the inevitable transition costs for both sides, there may also be some benefits to a split.
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Christine Cole, Nottingham Trent University
The world's largest recyclable materials importer will leave other countries searching for alternative waste management solutions.
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Virginia García Beaudoux, University of Buenos Aires
TV commercials continue to traffic in outmoded gender roles, relegating women to the home. A media scholar explains how these stereotypical portrayals can fuel workplace harassment by powerful men.
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