The theory that humankind originated in Europe was set aside in 1924 after the first fossil African hominin was discovered in South Africa. New research is suggesting that Africa isn't the cradle of humankind, and that this title belongs to Eastern Europe. Julien Benoit explains why he and others in the field of paleontology are sceptical.
Anene Booysen. Reeva Steenkamp. Karabo Mokoena. South Africans know these women's names because their brutal deaths made headlines. But once the outrage has cooled - and even while it's raging - gender based violence keeps happening. Amanda Gouws explores why this is the case and offers some possible solutions.
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The fossil remains which have caused all the consternation.
Jochen Fuss, Nikolai Spassov, David R. Begun, Madelaine Böhme/via Wikimedia Commons
Julien Benoit, University of the Witwatersrand
The theory that humankind originated in Europe is an old one. It was abandoned in 1924 when the first Australopithecus was discovered in South Africa.
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A South African student invites people to “walk in others’ shoes” doing a protest about gender based violence.
EPA/Kim Ludbrook
Amanda Gouws, Stellenbosch University
High profile stories of femicide come with a flare up of societal outrage, protest and collective introspection. But nothing ever really changes.
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President Jacob Zuma, left, gets a courtesy visit from President of Namibia Hage Geingob in 2015 in Cape Town.
GCIS
Henning Melber, University of Pretoria; Chris Saunders, University of Cape Town
South Africa's ANC and Namibia's SWAPO, governing parties, enter crucial leadership elections this year, with presidents Zuma and Geingob both facing challenges.
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Environment + Energy
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Tlou Masehela, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Beekeeping cannot depend on a single forage source. This makes the business of ensuring bees have what they need to stay healthy a precarious business.
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From the archives
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Nimisha Naik, University of the Witwatersrand; Alan Hirsch, University of Cape Town; Jannie Rossouw, University of the Witwatersrand
The South African Reserve Bank has come under spotlight due to the critical role it must play in enabling the country to navigate rough waters. Governor Lesetja Kganyago shares his views.
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From our international editions
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Tom Collins, University of Stirling
A newspaper's job is to publish information. But fingers should be pointed at whoever leaked it.
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John Gardner, Anglia Ruskin University
Manchester united by the power of poetry.
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Jonathan Roberts, Queensland University of Technology
Star Wars was a swashbuckling space fantasy that inspired some of the technology we see today, four decades after the film's release.
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Daniel Korschun, Drexel University; Boryana V Dimitrova, Drexel University; Yoto V. Yotov, Drexel University
Surveys show Trump's election is damaging America's reputation abroad, which research suggests could deal a sharp blow to US trade.
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