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Southern Africa is critically important in the origin of modern humans, and has a rich fossil record. Yet, little is known about how pre-scientific cultures interpreted the geological and fossil phenomena they encountered in the world around them. Charles Helm explains how he and his colleagues set out to fill this knowledge gap.
Under apartheid, opera in South Africa was heavily subsidised by the state for the benefit of white people. But that’s changed dramatically over the past 30 years. As Wayne Muller writes, "Africanisation" has happened through both the staging of opera with localised settings as well as the writing of original musical scores.
Africa has a tough job feeding its people. One way to ease the burden is through growing vertical farms. But this innovative way of farming comes with challenges. In this week's edition of our podcast Pasha, Esther Ndumi Ngumbi discusses why Africa needs its own versions.
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South African soprano Pretty Yende (L) & Mexican tenor Javier Camarena during a rehearsal of ‘I puritani’ in Spain, 2018.
EPA-EFE/Quique Garcia
Wayne Muller, Stellenbosch University
Realism and addressing pressing contemporary South African societal issues have been the focus of local opera since 1995.
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The trilobite manuport (Bainella sp) from Robberg on the Cape south coast was carried at least 10 km to a small cave shelter. For scale, the bar is 10 cm long.
Author Supplied
Charles Helm, Nelson Mandela University
Geomythology can be a powerful way to inspire more people on the continent to become interested in Africa's palaeoscience.
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Health + Medicine
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Lamech Mwapagha, Namibia University of Science and Technology
Gene sequences can be manipulated to prevent certain diseases and improve public health.
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Leslie London, University of Cape Town; Neo Morojele, South African Medical Research Council
Easy access to alcohol and exposure to alcohol advertisements affects social and health outcomes.
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From our international editions
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Andrew Barron, Macquarie University
Bees can pick up unique characteristics in paintings by zipping quickly back and forth in front of them to detect abrupt changes in the brightness of an image.
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Angélica Durán-Martínez, University of Massachusetts Lowell
President López Obrador campaigned on some outside-the-box ideas to 'pacify' Mexico after 12 years of extreme violence. But so far his government has emphasized traditional law-and-order policies.
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En français
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Luc Rouban, Sciences Po – USPC
Le soutien aux « gilets jaunes » et son anticapitalisme ne signifient nullement une appétence pour la gauche radicale. Bien au contraire.
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Guillaume Labrude, Université de Lorraine
Fantasme ou réalité ? Le récent biopic consacré au groupe Queen pose la question de l’appropriation par le public dans la culture populaire.
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