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A new dinosaur has been discovered in Zimbabwe! The dinosaur, dubbed Musankwa sanyatiensis, was found on the shore of Spurwing Island, on Lake Kariba. It’s believed to have been a plant-eating creature that walked on two legs, with a long neck, small skull and sturdy tail. The team of palaeontologists describe how they made their discovery, Zimbabwe’s fourth dinosaur find.
What did people eat before they learned how to grow crops? You might expect that the hunter-gatherers of long ago ate a lot of animal protein. But new research presents a different picture. Zineb Moubtahij’s study of ancient teeth and bones in Morocco reveals that some cave dwellers in north Africa had a heavily plant-based diet thousands of years before agriculture began.
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Moina Spooner
Assistant Editor
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Paul Barrett, Natural History Museum; Jonah Choiniere, University of the Witwatersrand; Kimberley E.J. Chapelle, University of the Witwatersrand; Lara Sciscio, Jurassica Museum; Michel Zondo, University of the Witwatersrand
Musankwa is only the fourth dinosaur to be named from Zimbabwe.
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Zineb Moubtahij, Leiden University
Findings from a new study challenge the traditional view that a heavy reliance on plant-based diets started only with the advent of agriculture.
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Politics
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Oliver Kiptoo Kirui, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Rural households are especially hard hit by food shortages due to disrupted farming, limited access to markets and soaring food prices.
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Joleen Steyn Kotze, University of the Free State
Political parties must show ideological flexibility to foster stability and drive South Africa towards prosperity through creative policy solutions.
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Chris Changwe Nshimbi, University of Pretoria; Inocent Moyo, University of Zululand
New tech tools are more intrusive and subtler than physical barriers. They invade migrants’ privacy and are a threat to personal security.
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Roger Southall, University of the Witwatersrand
There’s confusion in South Africa about what’s driving the popularity of Jacob Zuma and his uMkhonto we Sizwe party.
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Kagure Gacheche, The Conversation
Burkina Faso tops the list of the world’s most neglected crises in the world for the second time in a row.
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Keith Gottschalk, University of the Western Cape
Following Jacob Zuma’s tenure, during which corruption became endemic tarnishing the ANC, Cyril Ramaphosa was touted as the party’s saviour. But he failed to impress.
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Health + Medicine
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Samuel Kariuki, Kenya Medical Research Institute
Severe weather such as drought and floods is contributing to cholera outbreaks in Africa.
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Arts, Culture + Society
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Brett D. Molter, Biola University
Combining elements of traditional and modern music has created rhythms that are unique to Senegalese music.
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Nicolas Bancel, Université de Lausanne
African states won new power when they demanded New Zealand withdraw because of their rugby tour of apartheid South Africa.
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Jen Snowball, Rhodes University
South Africa’s National Arts Festival’s economic impact on its host city, Makhanda, is estimated to be US$4.5 million a year. But it also makes an impact on a social and an artistic level.
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Business + Economy
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Jonas Aryee, University of Plymouth
Freeports have not reached their full potential in west Africa.
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Environment + Energy
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Laura Vang Rasmussen, University of Copenhagen; Hanson Nyantakyi-Frimpong, University of Denver; Ingo Grass, University of Hohenheim; Marney Isaac, University of Toronto; Rachel Bezner Kerr, Cornell University
Transitions to diversified farming systems in Africa will require financial support. But barriers can be overcome.
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Anna Porcuna-Ferrer, Cirad; Laura Calvet-Mir, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Victoria Reyes-García, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
The remote Bassari community, located between Senegal and Guinea, experiences climate change as one of many changes. They are best placed to come up with solutions that work for them.
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Education
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Pearl S. Kyei, University of Ghana
Improving school sanitation, reducing household chores, and addressing harassment and bullying could enhance girls’ reading performance relative to boys’.
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