China set to retrieve first Moon rocks in 40 years
Later this November, a Chinese spacecraft will travel to the Moon to scoop up lunar rocks for the first time in more than 40 years. The mission, named Chang’e-5, is the latest in a series of increasingly complex trips to the lunar surface led by the China National Space Administration...
Need to redesign open science for Asia, Africa and Latin America
Last year, my colleagues and I organised a webinar on open science with a focus on Indonesia. One participating university experienced blackouts owing to a faulty electricity grid. At another, a generator exploded. At a third, political riots had damaged buildings.Perhaps most people reading this article would find such constraints...
Reports: Realign eastern Africa without Kenyan leadership
Forever in a state political flux, Kenya risks being isolated unless its leadership finds a way of accommodating all shades of opinion.As the critical phase of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) gets underway, the determined isolation of Deputy President William Ruto has brought to the fore the undercurrents that preceded...
10,000 reasons why you are tall or short
For height, DNA is largely destiny. Studies of identical and fraternal twins suggest up to 80 per cent of variation in height is genetic. But the genes responsible have largely eluded researchers.Now, by amassing genome data for four million people—the largest such study ever—geneticists have accounted for a major share...
Scientists angry for failing to deliver Biden landslide win
As the possibility of a landslide victory for US presidential candidate Joe Biden vanished in the wee hours of November 4, some scientists saw the deadlocked election as a sign of their own failure to communicate the importance of science, evidence and truth to the general population.“This election is not...
Fifa Secretary General installed into world Women’s Forum Hall of Fame
Fifa Secretary General Fatma Samoura has been inducted into the International Women’s Forum (IWF) Hall of Fame in recognition of her transformative contributions to society.Fatma Samoura, who worked on United Nations projects for 21 years before becoming the first-ever African and woman to hold the role of Secretary General at...
New report shows rugby interest grew fastest in 2019
In a game-changing year for the sport, there was a significant increase in the perceived attractiveness of the sport resulting in a sharp increase in interest, inspired by the rise of women in rugby and a trail-blazing Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.Conducted by global measurement and data analytics industry...
Racism is baked into patent systems
In July 1999, representatives of Amazonian Indigenous groups arrived at the headquarters of the US Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia, to challenge a patent on the ayahuasca vine.Indigenous peoples had cultivated ayahuasca for its medicinal and other properties for generations. How could someone in the United States have...
Trump order spreads fear among government scientists
An executive order issued by US President Donald Trump has sown confusion and fear among government scientists in the country.Announced by the White House on October 21, the order creates a job category for government workers — such as scientists — that makes it easier to fire people shifted into...
ADB donates $440,000 to South Sudan and Sudan flood victims
The African Development Bank Group has approved an emergency assistance relief package of $440,000 to fund ongoing humanitarian and emergency relief efforts in areas recently hit by floods in South Sudan and Sudan.The package, from the bank’s special relief fund, will be split nearly equally between the two countries and...
