African astronomy and how one student broke into the field
What do you do when the degree you want to study is not offered by your university? Read more
A student shaping the future of African astronomy
“I want to see Africa lit up.” Naomi Asabre Frimpong says with a laugh, “I want to show how Africa can be forward thinking. I want to make sure that we are not left behind.” … Read more
The last dinosaur on Earth?
Scientists have discovered remains of one of the last dinosaurs on Earth, in Morocco. About 66 or 67 million years old, Chenanisaurus barbaricus comes from the very end of the prehistoric animals’ reign. Read more
TechBlog: Need an instrument? Build it!
The 6 April issue of Nature included a Toolbox feature on the growing use of DIY electronics in scientific research. Read more
Farm to Genomes: African Rice
Rice is one of the most important crops on the planet, responsible for feeding billions of people. Given this global significance, studying rice in different geographies can be useful and aid in harnessing genetic diversity underlying particular traits and adaptations favorable to different environments. African rice (Oryza glaberrima Steud.) is mainly grown in sub-Saharan Africa and known for its stress tolerance. In a new article this week in Nature Genetics, Michael Purugannan and colleagues report the whole genome re-sequencing of 93 African rice landraces from various regions of Western coastal and sub-Saharan Africa. They create a genome-wide SNP map and through comparative genomic analysis study the domestication and population history of African rice. They use their map to perform GWAS for salt tolerance and find 11 significantly associated regions, highlighting the value of this unique genetic resource. Read more
Ancient migrants left Africa with a ‘mutational load’
The populations that broke off from early out-of-Africa migrants may have progressively accumulated harmful genetic mutations, suggests a new study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read more
Oreoluwa Somolu: The Nigerian woman empowering young women in Africa to engage with technology
In the third of our five features celebrating Ada Lovelace Day and prominent women in science and technology across the world, we speak to Oreoluwa Somolu about empowering young women in Africa to engage with technology and pursue careers in science and technology. Read more
Global health careers: starting out
We talk to two young scientists spending their summer in rural Africa in the name of global health. … Read more
Working in global health: Jennifer Stevenson
Jennifer Stevenson is a research associate and resident entomologist at the Macha Research Trust in Zambia, where she is working on new techniques for malaria control. Stevenson studied biological sciences at the University of Oxford, and did both an MSc and PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine investigating ways to control mosquitoes. After spending 5 years working in Kenya on malaria research, she moved to Macha, Zambia in March this year. Macha is a small rural community area in the Southern Province of Zambia, which is made up mainly of traditional villagers who live in homesteads scattered over the savannah. Stevenson has spent 12 years working in public health, and has spent much of that time working in remote locations in Uganda, Venezuela, Kenya, and now Zambia. Naturejobs caught up with her in Macha to find out more about her work and career. Read more
Massive shrinkage in African great ape habitat since 1990s
Great ape habitat in Africa has shrunk precipitously in the past two decades, according to the first continent-wide survey of the state of environmental conditions suitable for the animals. Read more
