First fossil pangolin tracks discovered in South Africa: A team of scientists who study vertebrate fossil tracks and traces on South Africa’s southern Cape coast have identified the world’s first fossil pangolin trackway, with the help of Indigenous Master Trackers from Namibia. Ichnologists Charles Helm, Clive Thompson and Jan De Vynck tell the story. What …
Ghana’s first genetically modified crop: why we created a new cowpea variety, how we tested it and what we found: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an indigenous and staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa, but it has an enemy: an insect called the legume pod borer (Maruca vitrata). This pest can cause yield losses of more than …
First fossil hyena tracks found in South Africa – how expert animal trackers helped: “The art of tracking may well be the origin of science.” This is the departure point for a 2013 book by Louis Liebenberg, co-founder of an organisation devoted to environmental monitoring. The connection between tracking in nature, as people have done …
Dinosaur tracks, made 140 million years ago, have been found for the first time in South Africa’s Western Cape: Guy Plint examines one of the dinosaur tracks, which is above his head. Annemarie Plint, CC BY-NC-ND Dinosaurs have captured people’s imagination ever since their bones and teeth were first scientifically described in 1822 by geologist …
The US tried high tariffs and ‘America first’ policies in the 1930s. Trump should note what happened next: Donald Trump has hit the 30-day pause button on imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, but is proceeding with slapping 10% tariffs on Chinese imports, and tariffs on the EU are still on his agenda. Trump …
Trump signals he will start pushing for a new world order in first 100 days: Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20 2025 is widely seen as ushering in a period of significant upheaval for US foreign policy, and a change in the way diplomacy is done. Trump’s favoured style of bluster …
Donald Trump will put America first: what does that mean for Africa?: Donald Trump’s return as the president of the US in January 2025 is expected to usher in a transformation of US domestic and foreign affairs. The implications of the second Trump presidency – Trump 2.0 – is debated across the world. Many observers …
In her first budget, the chancellor faces a minefield of risks: Ahead of the new government’s first budget on October 30, chancellor Rachel Reeves has revealed her determination to change borrowing rules that will allow her to boost investment spending. The overriding goal of the government is to promote economic growth, after more than a …
Alex Salmond: Scotland’s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner for independence: Alex Salmond, possibly one of the most famous Scottish politicians of recent decades, and certainly the best-known face of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has died at the age of 69. The former first minister of Scotland, a long-standing member of the Westminster …
Anatomy of a rebellion: why Keir Starmer’s first brush with parliamentary revolt over two-child benefit cap is a symbolic moment: Flickr/UK Parliament, CC BY-NC-ND Following the state opening of parliament, the House of Commons has been debating the contents of the king’s speech (referred to as the debate on the address). This unfolds over the …
Drained but proud: how it felt to organise South Africa’s first democratic election in just 4 months: South Africa’s historic 27 April 1994 national election marked the end of more than three centuries of colonial and apartheid rule. The period leading to the election was one of heightened political tension, with opponents of change working …
Multiple sclerosis: blood test that tracks immune response could be first step in developing better treatments: Our blood test showed that in people with MS, their immune response to EBV was higher than it was in people who weren't diagnosed with the condition. angellodeco/ Shutterstock An estimated 2.8 million people worldwide have multiple sclerosis (MS). …
GB News’s first election – how the new channel could affect broadcast coverage of the campaigns: The prime minister’s announcement of a snap summer election in the UK caught many people by surprise. But broadcasters and the media regulator have been preparing for some time. Ofcom faces the challenge of monitoring how broadcasters report the …
Haiti: first Kenyan police arrive to help tackle gang violence – but the prospects for success are slim: An advance team of Kenyan special forces police have arrived in the troubled Caribbean nation of Haiti. They are part of a larger UN-backed “support” mission tasked with establishing order, pushing back the advances of criminal gangs …
Want to be an influencer? Our research shows what you need to know first: Maridav/Shutterstock You’re hard at work, lying in a hammock, composing the perfect selfie on the beach. The turquoise sea sets off the idyllic sunset, and just visible though the fronds of a palm tree is the logo of the hotel which …
Starliner: Boeing prepares to launch its first crewed spacecraft as it chases after SpaceX: Keith J Fink / Shutterstock Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is scheduled to make its first flight into space with astronauts on May 6, 2024. This flight and a few others will take place take under contract with Nasa, as part of a …
Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s departing first minister, and the art of the resignation speech: Humza Yousaf’s resignation as first minister of Scotland was, in the end, expected, after a chain of events made his position untenable. It was trailed from early in the morning that he would be resigning, so when he finally addressed the media …
South Africa’s first election was saved by a Kenyan: the fascinating story of Washington Okumu, the accidental mediator: What’s sometimes forgotten about the 26-29 April 1994 vote that installed the African National Congress (ANC) government in South Africa is that, until the last minute, it looked like violence would consume the voting process. An 11th-hour …