By Blessing Kavhu, Research Fellow, Remote Sensing & GIS Data Scientist I Conservationist I Transboundary Water Modeler I Technical Advisory Board Member I UCSC Climate Justice Fellow I UCSC Coastal Climate Resilience Fellow, University of California, Santa Cruz
In the fishing villages along Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe, near the border with Zambia, everyday routines that should be ordinary – like collecting water, walking to the fields or casting a fishing net – now carry a quiet, ever-present fear. A new national analysis shows that human-wildlife conflict in rural Zimbabwe has intensified to the point where it has become a public safety crisis, rather than simply an environmental challenge.
Between 2016 and 2022, 322 people died in wildlife encounters. Annual…
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By Niguss Gitaw Baraki, Postdoctoral scientist, George Washington University
Dan V. Palcu Rolier, Senior Scientist, Universidade do São Paulo, BR || Senior Scientist, Project Leader, GeoEcoMar, RO || Senior Scientist, Koobi Fora Research & Training Program, KY
David R. Braun, Professor of Anthropology, George Washington University
Emmanuel K. Ndiema, Senior Research Scientist, National Museums of Kenya
Rahab N. Kinyanjui, Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Our prehistoric human ancestors relied on deliberately modified and sharpened stone tools as early as 3.3 million years ago. The selection of rock type depended on how easily the material could be flaked to the desired shape and form.
The resulting product proved invaluable for everyday tasks. Sharp-edged rock fragments were manufactured to suit various needs, including hunting and food processing.
The Stone Age period lasted from about 3.3 million years ago until the emergence of metalworking technologies.…
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By Evelyn Namakula Mayanja, Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies, Carleton University
When he was first sworn in as Uganda’s president in 1986, Yoweri Museveni declared that his victory represented a “fundamental change”. He promised that Ugandans would no longer die at the hands of fellow citizens. He also criticised African leaders who sought international prestige while their people lacked food, healthcare and dignity.
In his books Sowing the Mustard Seed (published…
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By Temitayo Isaac Odeyemi, Research fellow, International Development Department, University of Birmingham
Nigeria has built an impressive legal framework for disability rights. The challenge now is turning these commitments into consistent, lived realities for voters with disabilities. With elections in 2027, the country has an opportunity to show others what full electoral inclusion looks like.
Across Africa, citizens with disabilities continue to face barriers to voting, from high staircases and narrow doorways to uninformed officials and ballot…
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By Thomas Stocker, Emeritus Professor of Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern
On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, the coolest library on Earth was inaugurated at the Concordia station, Antarctica. Samples from glaciers rescued worldwide are now beginning to be stored there for safekeeping. This will allow, among other things, future generations to continue studying traces of past climates trapped under ice, as glaciers on every continent continue to thaw out at a fast pace.
With its temperature of -50°C, the archive sanctuary built below the surface at Concordia will allow endangered ice cores extracted from the Andes, Svalbard, the Alps,…
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By Kyara Liu, PhD Candidate, Public Health, University of Toronto
The growing ease of perpetrating sexual violence with novel technologies reflect the urgent need to prioritise AI safety and regulation.
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By Richard K.F. Unsworth, Associate Professor in Marine Biology, Swansea University
Benjamin Jones, Chief Conservation Officer, Project Seagrass & Research Affiliate, Swansea University
Marine biodiversity underpins human health such as at Porthdinllaen in north wales where seagrass is part of a marine social ecological system.
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By Francesco Cavatorta, Professor of Political Science, Université Laval
Since late December, Iran has been rocked by unprecedented unrest, which is fuelled by the economic crisis and exacerbated by violent repression by the regime.
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By Konstantin Zhukov, Assistant Professor of Economics, Indiana University; Institute for Humane Studies
President Donald Trump’s threats against independent media and free speech look a lot like the actions of autocrats elsewhere intent on undermining the institutions meant to keep them in check.
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By Julian Barling, Distinguished Professor and Borden Chair of Leadership, Smith School of Business, Queen's University, Ontario
Kaylee Somerville, PhD Candidate, Smith School of Business, Queen's University
The new workplace reality demands that organizations support leaders in settings where complex and often messy relationships are central to leadership effectiveness.
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