Scientists
19 Mar
Leaked plans for the world’s first octopus farm detail how the eight-legged creatures would be slaughtered: by hypothermia. Experts say it’s inhumane.
12 Feb
A bird flu outbreak on a Spanish mink farm is alarming scientists. The virus may be spreading for the first time from mammal to mammal — and could become a danger for humans.
7 Feb
We take a look at how the press is covering the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and how, for some, the tragedy is both a natural disaster story but a political one as well. We also discuss controversies over the Grammy Awards and a trans Harry Potter video game character.
29 Oct
Researchers in Botswana and South Africa, who separately identified the COVID-19 omicron variant, are the winners of the 2022 German Africa Award.
11 Sep 2022
Our current vaccines don't protect well against the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. But scientists say they have produced an antibody in a mouse model that could lead to new vaccines that fight all variants.
11 Sep 2022
Thousands of flamingo chicks are born yearly in Europe's biggest flamingo colony in southern Spain. Before the hatchlings fly off to other nature reserves in Europe and Africa, volunteers tag them to study their migration patterns.
28 Aug 2022
Scientists recently discovered a crater off the coast of Guinea. While it was not as impactful as the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, its regional consequences would have been huge. Our regional correspondent Sam Bradpiece spoke to one of the researchers involved.
27 May 2022
A robotic “sixth finger”, that can be worn on the hand next to the pinky to move like a real finger, has been created by Japanese researchers studying how brains react to new and independent body parts.
11 Jan 2022
An EU climate agency has said 2021 was the fifth-warmest year ever recorded globally. Greenhouse gas emissions have supercharged wildfires, heat waves and flooding, affecting every continent.
26 Nov 2021
South Africa's health minister has said a newly identified coronavirus variant is of "serious concern." Scientists said the variant could be behind a major spike in cases in the country.
9 Nov 2021
Companies owned by billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are planning to launch the first so-called Natrium nuclear reactor project. Many experts see the project as a misguided attempt to hit CO2 reduction targets.
31 Oct 2021
A boat crew casts a net into the seemingly clean waters off Japan's Izu peninsula, but not to catch fish -- they are scooping up microplastics to learn more about the pollution's impact on marine life.