News, economies and societies across Africa
Science
Research and discovery across Africa, explained through the available evidence and its limitations.
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Latest stories
“It Started by Mistake”: This Accidental Copper Experiment Unleashed the Iron Age (and changed the course of human history)
Researchers discovered that the use of iron oxide in ancient copper smelting may have sparked the Iron Age. The Iron Age marked a significant cultural…
“Water Built the First Pyramid”: New Evidence Suggests Egypt’s Step Pyramid Rose With Hydraulic Power, Not Just Human Hands
Recent research reveals the Step Pyramid of Djoser may have used hydraulic technology. The study challenges previous beliefs about the timeline of hydraulic systems in…
“Forgotten Pits Revealed a Secret”: Great Zimbabwe’s Ingenious Water System Kept the City Alive Longer Than Anyone Believed
Archaeologists discovered a sophisticated water conservation system at Great Zimbabwe, challenging assumptions about its decline. The dhaka pits, previously thought to be clay quarries, were…
“They Found Africa’s Ancient Climate Seesaw”: Shifting Rainfall Patterns That Shaped Human Evolution Are Still Influencing Us Today
Ancient climate patterns similar to El Niño influenced sub-Saharan Africa over the last 620,000 years. The climate seesaw between wet and dry periods was crucial…
“They Watched the Ground Tear Open”: Giant Crack in Kenya Signals Africa Is Slowly Splitting in Two (and a new ocean is forming)
A large crack in Kenya underscores the potential splitting of the African continent. The East African Rift is driven by a mantle plume causing the…
“They Found Earth’s Hidden Heartbeat”: Scientists Detect Pulsing Mantle Beneath Africa That’s Slowly Tearing the Continent Apart
Deep pulses beneath Africa’s Afar region reveal insights into tectonic plate movement and mantle activity. Scientists discover that the mantle beneath Afar pulses with distinct…
“They Were Here Long Before”: This Moroccan Discovery Destroys the Myth That Civilization in North Africa Began With the Phoenicians
The discovery at Kach Kouch challenges long-held beliefs about the Maghreb’s history, revealing ancient settlements. Advanced technology like drones and GPS helped reconstruct the settlement’s…
“It Was Never One Tribe”: This New Genetic Discovery Destroys Everything You Thought You Knew About How Humans First Evolved in Africa
Genomic study reveals Homo sapiens evolved from multiple populations in Africa. The multiregional hypothesis challenges the traditional out-of-Africa theory of human evolution. Evidence shows gene…
“It Was a Green Paradise Once”: This Lost Valley Discovery Reveals How Climate Change Drove the First Humans Out of Africa
Jordan Rift Valley served as a critical passageway for early human migration out of Africa. Research reveals the valley once had a lush environment due…
“Nothing Matches Their DNA”: This Cave Discovery Shatters Everything We Knew About How Humans First Spread Across the World
Recent discoveries in Bacho Kiro Cave reveal unexpected genetic links to East Asian populations. The presence of Neanderthal DNA in ancient remains adds complexity to…
“They Didn’t Flee Abundance”: This Ethiopian Discovery Reveals Drought, Not Plenty, Drove Humanity’s First Great Escape (and it changes everything)
Recent discoveries in Ethiopia challenge the ‘green corridor’ theory, suggesting drought drove early human migration. The study utilized cryptotephra analysis to provide precise dating for…
“‘They Walked Here First’”: This Cape Coast Discovery Reveals a 153,000-Year-Old Human Secret (and it’s rewriting our origin story)
Ancient footprints on the Cape coast reveal insights into early human movement and adaptation. Researchers use optically stimulated luminescence to accurately date footprints up to…