South Africa's G20 presidency: Continuing the fight for African debt sustainability

The Conversation|Published

Despite the conclusion of South Africa's G20 presidency, the nation remains committed to advocating for African debt sustainability and addressing the continent's ...

Why are women's shoes so pointy?

The Conversation|Published

Michael Watson, the Interim Associate Chair and Instructor of Retailing at the University of South Carolina, explains why shoes designers keep making them this way. ...

The deadly cost of whistleblowing in South Africa

The Conversation|Published

University of Johannesburg professors Ugljesa Radulovic and Tina Uys recently published a paper highlighting stories of a selection of whistleblowers spanning five ...

Birds all over the world use the same sound to warn of threats

The Conversation|Published

Researchers William Feeney, James Kennerley, Niki Teunissen have published a study that suggests over 20 species of birds from all around the world that are separated ...

Museum in a box: on the road with South Africa’s heritage

The Conversation|Published

Archaeologist Professor Tim Forssman and Justine van Heerden have designed a mobile museum featuring objects from teaching collections, pieces of pottery or stone ...

Genetic data from an Egyptian man buried 4500 years ago, decoded

The Conversation|Published

Egypt’s heat and terrain made it difficult for such studies to be conducted but lead researcher Adeline Morez Jacobs and team made a breakthrough.

Plastic microbeads: great in your face wash, bad in your food

The Conversation|Published

The South African government plans to ban tiny plastic beads found in some cleaning products, including cosmetics. Ocean and water pollution specialists Anusha Rajkaran ...

TikTok’s online wild meat sellers – study finds endangered species on offer in west Africa

The Conversation|Published

Their research found that more than 3,500 individual animals were advertised for sale via these channels over a 17 month period.

The key to a centenarian’s long life may be their superhuman ability to avoid disease

The Conversation|Published

Karin ModigAssociate Professor in Epidemiology,at the Karolinska Institutet, writes that the finding that centenarians manage to delay, and in some cases avoid, ...

Survivors’ voices 80 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki sound a warning and a call to action

The Conversation|Published

Masako Toki writes that the voices of the Hibakusha offer not only memory, but also moral clarity in an age of growing peril.

Watch VideoWho controls South Africa’s police force?

The Conversation|Published

Ivor Chipkin writes that the focus on civilian control of the police service has been replaced with efforts to establish party control.

Israel, Iran and the US: Why 2025 is a turning point for the international order

The Conversation|Published

The world appears to be facing an unprecedented upending of the post-1945 international legal order, writes Brian Brivati, a visiting Professor of Contemporary History ...

If people stopped having babies, how long would it be before for humans are gone?

The Conversation|Published

Michael A. Little, an anthropology professor who has spent his career studying human behavior, biology and cultures, readily admits that this would not be a pretty ...

Wastepickers play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution

The Conversation|Published

Melanie Samson, an Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Johannesburg says research shows waste pickers collect 80%-90% of the used packaging and ...

Airbnb scams: New book explores thriving criminal activity on big tech platforms

The Conversation|Published

Julie Reid , a professor at the University of South Africa, draws from first-hand accounts and over 600 cases from around the world of victims lured into scams or ...

Here is a fact: Most South African farmers are black

The Conversation|Published

Johann Kirsten, Director of the Bureau for Economic Research and Wandile Sihlobo Senior Fellow, Department of Agricultural Economics, both from Stellenbosch University ...

South Africa's wattled cranes are no longer endangered: Why the bird's numbers are rising

The Conversation|Published

Cranes are some of the world’s most majestic birds, with 15 species found globally. Four of these are found in Africa. The wattled crane in South Africa was in decline, ...

Watch VideoValentin-Yves Mudimbe: the philosopher who reshaped how the world thinks about Africa

The Conversation|Published

Christophe Premat, Associate Professor in French Studies (cultural studies), and head of the Centre for Canadian Studies, Stockholm University reflects on Mudimbe's ...

Watch VideoA robot that you ride like a horse is being developed

The Conversation|Published

Matías Mattamala, a Postdoctoral Researcher from the Oxford Robotics Institute at the University of Oxford, discuss what would be needed for Corleo to achieve a ...

Pope Francis' greatest reforms and controversies

The Conversation|Published

There were many unusual aspects of Pope Francis’ papacy. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas (and the southern hemisphere), the first to choose ...

The rich history of hot cross buns: From ancient traditions to modern delights

The Conversation|Published

Early Christians started marking bread with a cross to show their devotion, and ate it throughout the year. They believed the cross kept away evil spirits and helped ...

Ernest Cole: The South African photographer at the centre of a powerful and heartbreaking film

The Conversation|Published

Kylie Thomas, Senior Researcher and Senior Lecturer at Radical Humanities Laboratory, University College Cork, NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, ...

The dark side of superstition and the reality of ritual child murder

The Conversation|Published

Emmanuel Sarpong Owusu, a doctoral researcher and lecturer at Aberystwyth University in Wales, writes about superstition-driven crimes against vulnerable groups ...

New study unravels the genetic history of Africa’s largest pastoralist community

The Conversation|Published

The Fulani have long intrigued social anthropologists with their complex cultural heritage. They raise mainly cattle, goats and sheep in the vast, arid Sahel region. ...