Ancient dog DNA reveals 11,000 years of canine evolution
Human history is for the dogs. The largest-ever study of ancient genomes from the animals suggests that where people went, so did their four-legged friends — to a point. The research also identified major regional shifts in human ancestry that left little mark on dog populations, as well as times...
How the next-generation bots is interfering with the US election
Social-media platforms such as Twitter were used to sow discord in the United States in the run up to the 2016 presidential election, according to a report finalised this year by the US Senate. Russian operatives used tools such as bots — automated accounts that share content — in an...
Why schools are unlikely coronavirus hotspots
Data gathered worldwide are increasingly suggesting that schools are not hotspots for coronavirus infections. Despite fears, Covid-19 infections did not surge when schools and day-care centres reopened after pandemic lockdowns eased. And when outbreaks do occur, they mostly result in only a small number of people becoming ill. However, research...
Analysis: How the experts messed up on coronavirus
Masks work? NO.” Scott Atlas, a member of Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, wrote a tweet the Saturday before last that opened with these words — only to find it deleted by Twitter a day later. In the offending tweet, Atlas had written that the World Health Organisation (WHO) and...
Irony of climate scientists flying more often than other researchers
In recent years, a growing number of climate-change researchers have made the conscious decision to reduce their carbon footprints by avoiding air travel or flying less. But an analysis suggests that, despite these efforts, climate researchers travel and fly more than those who work in other disciplines. The study, published...
Should African countries fire sell their oil and gas assets?
Does the energy transition imply a total ban on fossil fuels and should countries fire sell their oil and gas assets? No, energy transition does not mean a total ban on fossil fuels. In simple terms, energy transition refers to a shift from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy....
Kenya sets up $1.2m revolving youth employment fund
Kenya’s ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs has launched a Ksh120 million ($1.2 million) initiative dubbed Future Bora (Bright Future) to support organisations that create income generation opportunities for groups designated economists as vulnerable. The demographics covered by the scheme include orphans, persons with a disability, youth displaced by...
Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala wins WTO director-general seat
Nigeria’s former finance minister and a former managing director of the World Bank, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has become the first female Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), shattering the glass ceiling. Okonjo-Iweala broke the glass ceiling, emerging as the first African and the first female to attain the position...
Lab-brain: Fuzzy definitions and ethical concerns
Some scientists think it is futile to even try to identify consciousness in any sort of lab-maintained brain. “It’s just impossible to say meaningful things about what these bunches of brain cells could think or perceive, given we don’t understand consciousness,” says Steven Laureys, a neurologist at the University of...
Can consciousness be created in a laboratory?
Almost all scientists and ethicists agree that so far, nobody has created consciousness in the lab. But they are asking themselves what to watch out for and which theories of consciousness might be most relevant. According to an idea called integrated information theory, for example, consciousness is a product of...
