Farmer on a tractor in a ploughed field, looking at a laptop

AI offers promise for agriculture, but smallholder farmers risk being left behind

Abiodun Olusola Omotayo, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; North-West University and Abeeb Babatunde Omotoso, North-West University

AI and journalism in southern Africa: editors are using it but balanced with human expertise and editorial judgement

Mandla J. Radebe, University of Johannesburg and Mbongeni J Msimanga, University of Johannesburg

Turtles finally have a place in the tree of life: X-ray study of South African fossils was a decider

Valentin Buffa, University of Zurich; Jonah Choiniere, University of the Witwatersrand; Julien Benoit, University of the Witwatersrand, and Xavier Jenkins, American Museum of Natural History

In Senegal, a 2,000-year-old iron workshop sheds new light on the past

Mélissa Morel, University of Cambridge; Anne Mayor, Université de Genève, and Ladji Dianifaba, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar

A man stands photographing a great pile of earth-coloured vessels from above at an archaeological excavation site.

What are misfluencers and what can be done about false information online?

Herkulaas MvE Combrink, University of the Free State and Phelokazi Mkungeka, University of the Free State

Lesotho’s mountain life was harsh for early humans: fire made all the difference

Kyra Pazan, California State University, Stanislaus and Andrew Carr, University of Leicester

Poor pay is holding back Africa’s biodiversity research and reducing its contribution to global science

Harith Omar Morgadinho Farooq, Lúrio University and Isildo De Nascimento Nganhane, Lúrio University

Landscape of flat savanna and steep mountain outcrop, with a small building

In Sudan, a migrant community reveals a resistance to malaria: the genetic study helping shape medicine

David Comas, Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Instituto de Biología Evolutiva (IBE - CSIC - UPF) and Laura Vilà Valls, Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Instituto de Biología Evolutiva (IBE - CSIC - UPF)

Group of women, some wearing veils on their heads, in a church building

Ghana’s transport system is chaotic: how it can move more people with fewer vehicles – research

Janet Appiah Osei, University of Ghana

Woman in a white coat looking into a microscope

Women in science – global study finds presence without power

Marie-Francoise Roy

South Africa’s AI policy cited fake research, created by AI: what lessons need to be learned

Nomalanga Mashinini, University of the Witwatersrand

A smiling emoji with big teeth is fragmented in a computer view.

Humidity and heat are killers for tropical birds – waxbill and hornbill studies highlight the dangers

Andrew McKechnie, University of Pretoria and Susan Cunningham, University of Cape Town

Africa has the world’s greatest genetic diversity, yet it’s missing from research: we’re filling the gap

Michele Ramsay, University of the Witwatersrand and Ananyo Choudhury, University of the Witwatersrand

Bird and tortoise fossil tracks on South Africa’s coast – latest findings are world firsts

Charles Helm, Nelson Mandela University

Magic mushrooms: new African species sheds light on the history of the famous fungus

Breyten Van der Merwe, Stellenbosch University and Alexander Bradshaw, Clark University

Electric minibus taxis: the challenges and gains facing Cape Town’s transition

MJ (Thinus) Booysen, Stellenbosch University and Joshua Sello, Stellenbosch University

Illustration of a taxi and bus rank with a mountain in the background

Embryo fossil found in South Africa is world’s oldest proof that mammal ancestors laid eggs

Julien Benoit, University of the Witwatersrand; Jennifer Botha, University of the Witwatersrand, and Vincent Fernandez, University of the Witwatersrand

Illustration of an embryo curled up inside an egg

Moroccan dinosaur’s fearsome tail spikes evolved much earlier than we thought – new discovery

Kawtar Ech-charay, Université Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah and Ahmed Oussou, Université Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah

Planting trees to remove carbon can harm the environment – or protect it: study highlights trade-offs

Ruben Prütz, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Gaurav Ganti, Humboldt University of Berlin; International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA); Joeri Rogelj, Imperial College London, and Sabine Fuss, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Our ancient planet

Life in fossil bones: what we can learn from tiny traces of ancient blood chemicals

Timothy G. Bromage, New York University

Early humans relied on simple stone tools for 300,000 years in a changing east African landscape

Niguss Gitaw Baraki, George Washington University; Dan V. Palcu Rolier; David R. Braun, George Washington University; Emmanuel K. Ndiema, National Museums of Kenya, and Rahab N. Kinyanjui

Arrow tips found in South Africa are the oldest evidence of poison use in hunting

Marlize Lombard, University of Johannesburg

Ancient antelope teeth offer surprise insights into how early humans lived

Megan Malherbe, University of Zurich

Animals with horns, standing and lying in a savannah landscape

AI reveals which predators chewed ancient humans’ bones – challenging ideas on which Homo species was the first tool-using hunter

Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo, Rice University

AI-generated image of an ancient human lying on ground with leopard eating from its torso

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Creature features

A Namib desert beetle runs to stay cool: how scientists solved the puzzle of this unique and speedy species

Duncan Mitchell, University of the Witwatersrand and Joh R. Henschel, University of the Free State

Chimpanzees ingest more than the equivalent of one alcoholic drink a day – new research

Stefano Kaburu, Nottingham Trent University

Two chimpanzees sitting together with playful expressions

Whose turn is it? The question is at the heart of language and chimpanzees ask it too

Kayla Kolff, Osnabrück University and Simone Pika, Osnabrück University

Humans and animals can both think logically − but testing what kind of logic they’re using is tricky

Olga Lazareva, Drake University

Rodent climbing the rungs of a small, colorful abacus

We studied more than 500 giraffe skulls from all over Africa – and confirmed there are 4 distinct species

Nikolaos Kargopoulos, University of Cape Town and Julian Fennessy, University College Dublin

A lone giraffe in the wild looks off to one side

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Talking tech

South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope is mapping previously invisible spaces between galaxies – and it’s found 60 new cosmic structures

Konstantinos Kolokythas, Rhodes University

Ransomware: what it is and why it’s your problem

Thembekile Olivia Mayayise, University of the Witwatersrand

Shadowy figure of a person using a computer, with computer screens in the background

A giant star is changing before our eyes and astronomers are watching in real time

Keiichi Ohnaka, Universidad Andrés Bello (Chile) and Jacco van Loon, Keele University

Illustration of large circular object alongside a smaller one

The great wildebeest migration, seen from space: satellites and AI are helping count Africa’s wildlife

Isla C. Duporge, Princeton University; Daniel Rubenstein, Princeton University; David Macdonald, University of Oxford, and Tiejun Wang, University of Twente

Science + Tech – Views & Research – The Conversation

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