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While many of us were watching Hurricane Milton wreak havoc on parts of Florida in the US, another storm was unfolding far, far above. A powerful solar flare, recorded by South Africa’s National Space Agency, triggered a geometric storm that brought purple, green, yellow and red auroras to the skies above many US states, as well as swathes of the UK. Amoré Elsje Nel, who researches geomagnetic storms, explains the phenomenon.
Nigerian music star and political activist Fela Kuti’s growing global fame nearly three decades after his death didn’t happen just because of his pioneering Afrobeat styles. It was also constructed by those who cared about his legacy. A central figure in that project has been Rikki Stein, his manager for 25 years. But, as Fela scholar Alaba Ilesanmi writes, that’s not the main reason to read Stein’s new memoir Moving Music. The book is an insightful adventure story that plays out around the world starring some of the biggest musicians of their time.
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Natasha Joseph
Commissioning Editor
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Amoré Elsje Nel, South African National Space Agency
Geomagnetic storms occur fairly often. Minor ones happen multiple times per year.
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Alaba Ilesanmi, Florida State University
Stein’s memoir Moving Music is as colourful and compelling as the famous artists he toured with.
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Health + Medicine
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Yvonne Prince, Cape Peninsula University of Technology; Glenda Mary Davison, Cape Peninsula University of Technology; Tandi Matsha-Erasmus, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
Changes to the bacterial balance in the mouth can trigger inflammation and other harmful effects in the body.
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Francisca Mutapi, University of Edinburgh
Resistance to antimicrobial drugs is a major global health challenge, so dealing with neglected tropical diseases is vital.
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Boniface Oyugi, University of Kent
Implementing health reforms is complex – unpredictable forces make the outcomes difficult to control or foresee.
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Eugene Lee Davids, University of Pretoria
A person’s style of making decisions can have an impact on their mental health.
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Education
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Pearl S. Kyei, University of Ghana
A study in five west African countries found that children fostered by wealthier households were less likely to attend school than children fostered by poorer households.
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Environment + Energy
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Jannes Landschoff, Stellenbosch University
Three tiny new marine species have been discovered in South African waters.
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Politics
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Peter Harris, Colorado State University
The deal that’s been announced is a rare win-win moment in international relations, with all the relevant actors able to claim a meaningful victory.
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Linnet Ongeri, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme
The threat of legal sanctions or imprisonment for a suicide survivor can have serious negative repercussions.
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Aikande Clement Kwayu, Tumaini University Makumira
Chadema has grown into a dominant opposition party with formidable strength, making it a target of the government.
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Susan Booysen, University of the Witwatersrand
The toppling of Cilliers Brink, mayor of South Africa’s capital city, highlights the provincial African National Congress’ disdain for its national partnership with the Democratic Alliance.
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Business + Economy
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Johann Kirsten, Stellenbosch University; Lisette IJssel de Schepper, Stellenbosch University
Business confidence surveys provide early signals of economic trends long before the official statistics.
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Arts, Culture + Society
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Mamadou Dramé, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar
There are still very few female hip-hop artists in Senegal, but they are asserting their talents and strong personalities to shape the rap scene.
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Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti, Rice University
Jo Rogge tackles difficult subjects that society cannot afford to ignore.
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André Wessels, University of the Free State
It’s important that this brutal chapter in South Africa’s past be commemorated in the right spirit, to reflect, take stock and to heal.
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Science + Technology
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Giulio Lucarini, National Research Council (CNR); Cyprian Broodbank, University of Cambridge; Youssef Bokbot, Institut national des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine in Rabat
The team’s work at Oued Beht unearthed the most extensive and earliest agricultural complex known in north Africa outside the Nile Valley.
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14 October 2024
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Cape Town
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17 October 2024
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Cape Town
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24 October 2024
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Johannesburg
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29 October 2024
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Johannesburg
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