The US military said it has launched its 10th consecutive round of strikes on Iran to force the reopening of the strait of Hormuz.
Earlier on Monday, Iran’s president said the country is in a “full-scale war” after the US expanded its aerial campaign and Tehran struck Washington’s Gulf allies, even as diplomats said talks to de-escalate were continuing.
Researchers have identified and formally described a new species of the African monkey genus Colobus living in the remote interior of the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking only the fifth new monkey species found on the continent in the past 75 years.
Whistleblower suggests internal security services deployed spyware from 2017 against key domestic and foreign targets
A former member of Morocco’s domestic intelligence service has helped to provide an unprecedented insight into how the north African state used hacking software – including Pegasus spyware – to target journalists, human rights defenders, French politicians and Spanish cabinet ministers and police officers.
Pegasus, which is manufactured by the Israel-based NSO Group, allows its operator to access everything on a target’s mobile phone, including emails, text messages and photographs. It can also activate the phone’s recorder and camera, turning it into a listening device.
Until about 60,000 years ago, diminutive hominin cousins, Homo floresiensis (affectionately nicknamed Hobbits for obvious reasons), shared the island of Flores with Komodo dragons, pygmy elephants, and giant rats.
Based on the presence of hominin and pygmy elephant bones in the same layers of cave sediment, it originally looked like the Hobbits had hunted and butchered dwarf elephants—an impressive feat for such a tiny hominin. But according to University of Tübingen anthropologist Elizabeth Veatch and her colleagues, it was the Komodo dragons that were the hunters, while the Hobbits only showed up to scavenge what was left.
If Veatch and her colleagues are right, their findings may challenge some of the assumptions we’ve made about Homo floresiensis—and about which hominin species was the first to venture into the wider world beyond Africa.
Experts say cuts have hindered the response to DRC’s Ebola outbreak and resulted in ‘significant numbers’ of deaths
Elon Musk has an Ebola problem. SpaceX stock dropped precipitously after its initial public offering, and Tesla faces a wave of lawsuits. But instead of focusing on his companies, Musk has posted frequently on X about the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which he helped dismantle – or, in his words, feed into the woodchipper – last year.
“Elon’s USAID crash-out over the past week has been a thing to behold,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former top USAID official who oversaw the agency’s Ebola response in 2014-2015 and the president of Refugees International. “In a way, it’s helpful that Elon is doing this, because it’s putting attention back on the issue of what he did last year.”
Huesos y dientes hallados en una cueva de Casablanca, con una antigüedad cercana a 773 000 años, aportan nuevas pruebas sobre el origen africano del linaje humano y revelan una diversidad regional más temprana de lo que se pensaba.
En una cantera del suroeste de Casablanca, Marruecos, un conjunto de restos humanos excepcionalmente antiguos vuelve a situar a África en el centro del relato sobre nuestros orígenes. Los fósiles, recuperados en la llamada Grotte à Hominidés, corresponden a individuos que vivieron hace alrededor de 773 000 años, en un momento clave de la evolución humana, cuando las principales líneas que darían lugar a nuestra especie y a otros grupos humanos comenzaban a diferenciarse.
El hallazgo no es reciente, pero sí lo es la certeza sobre su antigüedad y su significado. Tras décadas de excavaciones sistemáticas y análisis geológicos detallados, el yacimiento marroquí se ha convertido en una referencia para comprender cómo y dónde se configuraron las poblaciones humanas arcaicas que acabarían conduciendo a Homo sapiens. Los resultados han sido publicados en la revista Nature y difundidos por el servicio científico EurekAlert, consolidando su impacto en la comunidad internacional.
Una cueva redescubierta por la ciencia
La Grotte à Hominidés se encuentra incrustada en una antigua cantera, un entorno poco habitual para uno de los yacimientos paleoantropológicos más importantes del norte de África. El primer indicio de su relevancia apareció en 1969, cuando un coleccionista aficionado encontró parte de una mandíbula humana. Durante años, aquel fósil permaneció como una pieza aislada, sin un contexto claro que permitiera evaluar su edad y su lugar en la evolución humana.
No fue hasta 1994 cuando un equipo de investigadores inició excavaciones sistemáticas en la cueva. Desde entonces, los trabajos han sacado a la luz dos mandíbulas parciales, varios dientes, ocho vértebras y un fragmento de fémur. Este conjunto, poco habitual por su variedad anatómica y su estado de conservación, permitió por primera vez estudiar a estos individuos como parte de una población y no como restos aislados.
La acumulación de hallazgos también permitió analizar con precisión las capas de sedimentos en las que se encontraban los fósiles. Esa información geológica resultó decisiva para situar cronológicamente los restos y para descartar que hubieran sido desplazados desde niveles más antiguos o más recientes, una duda habitual en yacimientos descubiertos hace décadas.
El reloj magnético de la Tierra
Determinar la edad exacta de fósiles tan antiguos es uno de los mayores desafíos de la paleoantropología. En este caso, los investigadores recurrieron al paleomagnetismo, una técnica que analiza la orientación del campo magnético terrestre registrada en las rocas. A lo largo de la historia del planeta, los polos magnéticos se han invertido en múltiples ocasiones, dejando una huella detectable en los sedimentos.
Las capas que rodeaban los restos humanos de Casablanca registran una inversión magnética conocida, ocurrida hace aproximadamente 773 000 años. Los fósiles se depositaron justo en torno a ese cambio, lo que permite asignarles una edad muy precisa. Esta coincidencia convierte al yacimiento en uno de los pocos del norte de África con restos humanos tan antiguos y con una datación tan sólida.
Gracias a este contexto, los científicos pueden afirmar no solo que los fósiles son antiguos, sino que realmente pertenecen a ese periodo concreto. Esa seguridad cronológica refuerza su valor para reconstruir la historia temprana del linaje humano y para compararlos con otros restos hallados en Europa y Asia.
Rasgos antiguos y rasgos modernos
El análisis anatómico de las mandíbulas, los dientes y las vértebras revela una combinación sorprendente de características. Por un lado, algunos rasgos recuerdan a los de homínidos más antiguos, con mandíbulas robustas y proporciones consideradas primitivas. Por otro, aparecen detalles que anticipan características observadas más tarde tanto en Homo sapiens como en los neandertales.
Una de las mandíbulas, de menor tamaño, probablemente perteneció a un adulto de constitución ligera. Justo debajo se encontraron ocho vértebras que, por su posición y tamaño, podrían corresponder al mismo individuo. La otra mandíbula es más grande y robusta, con rasgos que muestran afinidades parciales con poblaciones humanas posteriores de Europa.
Esta diversidad dentro de un mismo yacimiento sugiere que las poblaciones humanas de hace 773 000 años no eran homogéneas. Al contrario, presentaban una variabilidad anatómica notable, reflejo de procesos evolutivos complejos que se desarrollaban de forma paralela en distintas regiones.
Un panorama más complejo que una sola línea evolutiva
Durante años, algunos investigadores plantearon que grupos humanos antiguos de Europa, como Homo antecessor en la península ibérica, podrían representar un ancestro común tanto de los neandertales como de los humanos modernos. Los fósiles marroquíes, de edad similar a los españoles, obligan a matizar esa idea.
Aunque coetáneos, los restos de Casablanca muestran diferencias claras respecto a los europeos. Los fósiles de España parecen alinearse más directamente con la línea que conduciría a los neandertales, mientras que los del norte de África apuntan hacia un linaje más cercano al que desembocaría en Homo sapiens. Esta divergencia indica que ya existían diferencias regionales marcadas mucho antes de lo que se suponía.
Lejos de una evolución lineal y uniforme, el registro fósil sugiere un mosaico de poblaciones humanas arcaicas, adaptadas a distintos entornos y siguiendo trayectorias evolutivas parcialmente independientes. Esa “diversidad temprana” es clave para entender cómo surgió nuestra especie.
Hienas y humanos en un mismo escenario
Un aspecto llamativo del yacimiento es que la cueva no fue, al parecer, un refugio habitual para los humanos. La abundancia de coprolitos, restos fosilizados de excrementos, y las marcas de mordeduras en muchos huesos indican que el lugar fue utilizado principalmente por grandes carnívoros, probablemente hienas.
Los huesos humanos muestran señales de haber sido roídos, pero carecen de marcas de corte producidas por herramientas de piedra. Esto sugiere que los individuos no murieron ni fueron procesados allí por otros humanos, sino que sus cuerpos pudieron ser transportados a la cueva como presas o carroña por los depredadores.
Este contexto aporta información valiosa sobre la relación entre los humanos tempranos y los grandes carnívoros del Pleistoceno. También recuerda que la supervivencia de aquellos grupos se desarrollaba en un entorno peligroso, donde los humanos no siempre ocupaban la cima de la cadena alimentaria.
África, un escenario clave para el origen humano
La gran pregunta que atraviesa la paleoantropología es dónde y cómo surgió Homo sapiens. Los estudios genéticos indican que la separación entre la línea que conduciría a los humanos modernos y la que daría lugar a neandertales y denisovanos ocurrió entre hace 765 000 y 550 000 años. Sin embargo, los fósiles que representen a esos ancestros tempranos han sido escasos y fragmentarios.
Los restos de Casablanca encajan temporalmente con ese periodo crítico. Sus características anatómicas, combinadas con su ubicación africana, refuerzan la hipótesis de que los antepasados directos de nuestra especie evolucionaron en África, y no en Europa o Asia, como se planteó en algunos momentos del debate científico.
La región del Magreb emerge así como un área de especial relevancia. Ya en 2017, los hallazgos de Jebel Irhoud, también en Marruecos, revelaron restos de Homo sapiens de unos 300 000 años de antigüedad, los más antiguos conocidos hasta ahora. Los nuevos fósiles amplían esa historia hacia atrás, mostrando que el norte de África albergaba poblaciones humanas clave mucho antes.
Un rompecabezas en expansión
Cada nuevo yacimiento añade piezas a un rompecabezas que sigue incompleto. Los fósiles de la Grotte à Hominidés no ofrecen una respuesta definitiva, pero sí delimitan mejor el escenario en el que se desarrolló la evolución humana temprana. Muestran que África no solo fue un punto de partida, sino un continente con una rica diversidad de poblaciones humanas arcaicas.
Al situar estos restos en una cronología precisa y compararlos con hallazgos europeos y asiáticos, los investigadores pueden reconstruir con mayor detalle las ramificaciones del árbol evolutivo humano. Lejos de un origen simple, la historia que emerge es la de múltiples poblaciones interactuando, divergiendo y, en ocasiones, desapareciendo.
En ese contexto, Marruecos y el norte de África se consolidan como regiones esenciales para comprender quiénes somos y de dónde venimos. Los huesos y dientes de Casablanca, silenciosos durante cientos de miles de años, se han convertido ahora en testigos clave de un pasado en el que África ya albergaba las raíces profundas de la humanidad.
Villagers in Awoye in the Niger Delta say the ongoing pollution is causing sickness and environmental destruction, while pleas for help go unanswered
Perched on a narrow hospital cot across from her son, Bodunwa Orugbemi can hear the distant Atlantic Ocean and smell the stench of crude oil on the air drifting in from the shore. For days, her 21-year-old son has been lying in this hospital in the Niger Delta, swallowing small spoonfuls of food without being able to speak.
Seventy‑year‑old Orugbemi says Ijadopin started coughing one evening in May, inside their small wooden home in Awoye on Nigeria’s Atlantic coastline. After a few days his cough intensified, then he developed a skin irritation, followed by difficulty breathing.
CONAKRY — Over the next few months, Guinea’s environment ministry will review an environmental and social impact assessment for an iron ore mine in the country’s Nimba Mountains. The project, named Kon Kweni, is to be carved out of Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Comprising a unique combination of tropical forest and high-elevation savanna, the Nimba highlands are a biodiversity hotspot, home to dozens of endemic species. According to the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA), these highlands would face “direct and major risks,” “irreversible damage,” and “threat to species survival” if the mining operations go ahead. The impact assessment is an essential step toward securing a mining permit and commencing operations on a project that has been in discussion since 2003, when Guinean mining company SMFG was founded. (The company acquired by U.S. miner Ivanhoe Atlantic in 2019.) Mongabay obtained a copy of the ESIA, a confidential document. The assessment was commissioned by Ivanhoe and carried out by Biotope, a French environmental consultancy, and reveals how Ivanhoe is planning to go about developing the Nimba concession and how the plan is projected to impact Nimba’s ecosystems. In the Mount Nimba Strict Forest Reserve, 2006. Image by Manfred Schweda via Wikicommons (CC BY-SA 4.0) Guinea’s environmental regulator, the AGEE, a branch of the environment ministry, will assess the project’s anticipated environmental impact and the company’s proposed plans to mitigate damage, alongside the precision and comprehensiveness of its assessments. Seydou Cissé, the AGEE director, said the…This article was originally published on Mongabay
If the Trump administration is serious about executing its “America First in Africa” policy and transforming American engagement on the continent, it needs to focus on sectors where it still […]
In recent years, the pressing issue of environmental sustainability has taken center stage across the globe, with particular emphasis on regions facing acute developmental and ecological challenges. Somalia, a nation historically beset by conflict and economic hardship, emerges as a potent case study in understanding how innovative approaches in energy use and financial inflows can synergistically influence ecological outcomes. New research by Hussein and Warsame, published in Scientific Reports in 2026, offers an illuminating analysis of how the adoption of clean cooking energy technologies, paired with the critical economic role of remittances, impacts Somalia’s ecological footprint in measurable ways.
Somalia’s environmental landscape is complex, marked by drought-prone land, limited infrastructure, and a reliance on biomass fuels such as charcoal and firewood for cooking and heating. These traditional practices have created intensive pressure on the country’s already fragile ecosystems, leading to increased deforestation, land degradation, and carbon emissions. The transition to clean cooking energy sources is thus not merely a technological upgrade; it represents a potential paradigm shift towards substantially reducing environmental harm. Hussein and Warsame’s study provides a detailed evaluation of how this transition, supported by economic inflows from abroad in the form of remittances, influences Somalia’s environmental sustainability trajectory.
Clean cooking energy technology largely encompasses alternatives such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), solar cookers, improved biomass stoves, and biogas systems. These technologies are designed to burn fuel more efficiently or switch to renewable energy sources, thereby reducing particulate matter emissions and carbon footprints. According to the research, the adoption of these technologies in Somali households correlates with a marked decrease in health hazards associated with indoor air pollution as well as a diminution in the rate of deforestation. The shift alleviates the ecological strain imposed by traditional fuel use, contributing significantly to sustainability goals.
Remittances, financial resources sent from the Somali diaspora to families in the home country, play a critical role in enabling the adoption of clean cooking technologies. Hussein and Warsame emphasize the economic empowerment remittances provide, facilitating investments in household technology that may otherwise be unattainable due to poverty. This link between remittance flows and environmental improvement is a novel concept, highlighting a socio-economic mechanism that can drive sustainable development in fragile states. The paper’s data-driven insights suggest that remittance-receiving households are substantially more likely to invest in clean energy solutions, thus mitigating their ecological footprint.
From a technical standpoint, understanding the ecological footprint encompasses measuring the aggregate environmental impacts of resource consumption and waste generation. Hussein and Warsame utilize a rigorous methodology incorporating both satellite data on environmental degradation and household-level survey data. This mixed-method approach enables a nuanced understanding of how macroeconomic factors, like remittances, intersect with micro-level behavioral changes relating to energy use. Their results demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in per capita ecological footprints within communities with higher access to clean cooking energy, amplified by remittance income.
One of the pivotal challenges outlined in the study is the availability and affordability of clean cooking technologies in Somalia. Market constraints, supply chain issues, and political instability present formidable barriers. Yet, the data reveal a growing acceptance and preference for cleaner energy amid urban and semi-urban populations. The research advocates for policy frameworks that bolster supply networks, subsidize initial costs, and encourage innovations tailored to local contexts. These technical and economic interventions could serve as blueprints for other nations grappling with similar environmental and social dynamics.
The implications of this research extend beyond Somalia’s borders, illuminating a model where socio-economic and technological factors combine to create pathways toward sustainability in developing regions. Hussein and Warsame argue for an integrated approach that treats environmental issues not in isolation but as interconnected with economic livelihoods and social structures. The nexus of remittances and clean energy adoption is a critical finding, emphasizing how diaspora networks act as agents of sustainable change, channeling not only money but also knowledge and technology.
Importantly, the study also engages with the gender dimension of clean cooking energy adoption. Women, who traditionally bear the brunt of household cooking duties, stand to benefit significantly from cleaner cooking options through reduced exposure to hazardous smoke and the alleviation of labor associated with fuel collection. Remittances contribute here as well by enabling women’s access to these technologies, thus improving health outcomes and catalyzing broader social empowerment. This multifaceted impact underscores the intersectionality of environmental and social sustainability.
In terms of ecological metrics, Hussein and Warsame’s quantitative assessment captures reductions across several dimensions—carbon emissions, land use change, and biodiversity loss. Cleaner cooking energy reduces carbon monoxide, methane, and particulate emissions, all major contributors to climate change and respiratory illnesses. Reduced reliance on charcoal extraction leads to forest conservation, mitigating soil erosion and preserving biodiversity hotspots. This suite of environmental benefits is critical in a region frequently vulnerable to climate-induced shocks.
The technical backbone of this research includes the use of geospatial analysis to monitor environmental degradation patterns over time, coupled with econometric modeling to parse out the specific impacts of remittances and energy adoption on ecological footprints. This fusion of environmental science and economic analysis is innovative and critical for policy makers to design targeted interventions. The data sets employed are unique, combining remote sensing with social surveys to provide a holistic picture rarely captured in similar studies.
The ripple effects of these findings also touch on Somalia’s energy policy landscape. The government, alongside international donors and NGOs, is increasingly oriented towards promoting renewable energy uptake and sustainable development under the country’s national strategy frameworks. Hussein and Warsame’s research offers empirical backing to these initiatives by quantifying the environmental returns on investment in clean cooking infrastructure and diaspora engagement. Their work strengthens the case for scaling such interventions in fragile socio-political environments.
Furthermore, the research addresses challenges in ensuring long-term sustainability and scalability of clean cooking energy interventions. While initial uptake driven by remittance income is promising, the study highlights potential risks including reliance on imported fuels like LPG and fluctuations in remittance flows due to global economic shifts. The authors suggest that a diversified energy strategy encompassing solar, biogas, and locally sourced renewable fuels could foster resilience and greater ecological benefits in the long run.
This study also contributes to the ongoing discourse on global climate justice by contextualizing Somalia’s environmental challenges within historical inequalities and economic constraints. The authors argue that international cooperation and climate financing mechanisms should recognize the role of diaspora remittances as an informal yet powerful climate action enabler. Harnessing this dynamic could complement formal climate aid and investment, thereby enabling countries like Somalia to leapfrog to cleaner energy futures.
Critically, this pioneering research underscores the necessity for interdisciplinary approaches to tackle environmental sustainability. Combining technological innovation, economic flows, social behavior, and environmental assessment produces a robust analytical framework. This holistic perspective is essential to unravel the complexities faced by developing nations, where environmental degradation is often intertwined with economic vulnerability and political instability.
In conclusion, Hussein and Warsame’s 2026 publication in Scientific Reports offers a compelling narrative on how clean cooking energy and remittances jointly influence Somalia’s ecological footprint, presenting a replicable model for sustainability in resource-constrained settings. Their work pushes forward the agenda on integrating socio-economic factors with environmental technology adoption, providing a roadmap for future research, policy development, and international cooperation. As nations worldwide strive toward the Sustainable Development Goals, insights from Somalia remind us that innovative pathways can emerge even in the most challenging contexts, driven by the interplay of technology, finance, and social capital.
Subject of Research: Environmental sustainability in Somalia, focusing on the impact of clean cooking energy adoption and remittance flows on ecological footprints.
Article Title: Environmental sustainability in Somalia: the role of clean cooking energy and remittances on ecological footprints.
Article References: Hussein, H.A., Warsame, A.A. Environmental sustainability in Somalia: the role of clean cooking energy and remittances on ecological footprints. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-57469-3
A lawsuit filed in California claims the automaker’s philanthropic arm stole technology intended to help poor farmers, but it is not clear to what end.
Scientists have uncovered compelling new evidence that early human ancestors, likely Homo erectus, were deliberately bringing fire into Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa as far back as 1.79 million years ago.
Bharti Airtel edged closer to completing a deal which would take its ownership of Airtel Africa to 79%, winning the backing of almost all of its shareholders to acquire an additional 16% interest in the business.
In a stock exchange filing, Bharti Airtel described the near unanimous support for the deal as reinforcing its confidence in the strategic rationale for the move and potential for long-term benefits.
The deal would see the company issue shares to Indian Continent Investment in exchange for its 16% stake in Airtel Africa and was announced in May.
Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal noted “Airtel Africa is central to our growth strategy and is well positioned to deliver robust performance with an increasing contribution to our consolidated revenues”.
“As we look ahead, we see significant potential in Africa for long-term shareholder value creation,” he added.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval.
Airtel Africa is listed on the London Stock Exchange with a secondary listing in Nigeria. It operates in 14 countries across the continent.
GSMA warned 810 million women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) still do not use mobile internet, flagging slow progress in closing the digital gender gap.
In its latest Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026, the industry association found that in comparison, 595 million men in the same markets are not connected to mobile internet. Indeed, women in LMICs were 12% less likely than men to use mobile internet, leaving 200 million fewer women online.
Smartphone ownership remains a major barrier, as women in LMICs are 13% less likely than men to own a smartphone, equivalent to around 210 million fewer female owners.
The report found awareness of mobile internet is high and almost equal among men and women, but adoption continues to be held back by handset affordability, literacy and digital skills gaps. Even after women are connected, usage remains restricted due to safety and security concerns, data affordability and poor connectivity.
GSMA explained women are disproportionately affected due to social norms and structural inequalities, including lower education and income.
The report found the divide most acute in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where mobile internet adoption stands at 26% and 25% respectively. The regions together also account for more than two-thirds of the 810 million unconnected women.
Women in rural areas continue to face a sharper divide, with the report stating the gender gap is typically two to three times wider outside urban areas. The disparity is particularly pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
Looking ahead, the industry association estimated closing the mobile internet adoption gap in LMICs between 2023 and 2030 could add $1.3 trillion to GDP. Meanwhile, narrowing the wider mobile ownership and usage gap could generate $230 billion in additional revenue for the mobile industry.
It called for coordinated action on handset and data affordability, digital skills, safety, services designed for women and wider structural inequalities.
Claire Sibthorpe, head of digital inclusion at GSMA, said “much more is needed to address the persistent and significant gender gaps in mobile internet adoption and use”. She warned AI and other emerging technologies are “creating greater digital divides and inequities”, making digital inclusion increasingly urgent.
Up until 10 years ago, large sections of the road linking Malawi and Zambia to the Indian Ocean port of Nacala would become nearly impassable during the rainy season, with potholes, damaged bridges and traffic bottlenecks causing long delays along this regional transport artery across northern Mozambique. The Mozambique government has carried out major upgrades to transport infrastructure, but this may have come at the cost of accelerating deforestation across the region. Between 2017 and 2022, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Bank financed major transportation upgrades along the Nacala Corridor, centered on the 912-kilometer (565-mile) rail line linking coal mines in western Mozambique with ports on the Indian Ocean, as well as road upgrades, to lower costs and improve regional trade connections with Malawi and Zambia. “This project reduces the ‘penalty of remoteness’ that poorer households pay,” Romulo Cunha Correa, Mozambique country manager for the African Development Bank, told Mongabay in an interview. The AfDB has prioritized improvements to road and rail infrastructure across the continent, also backing projects linking Cameroon to the cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa on the Congo River, and South Sudan to Indian Ocean ports in Kenya. But researchers studying this expansion of infrastructure have warned that the road upgrades can intensify deforestation and habitat loss. Women walk past a fish pond in Moatize, in Mozambique’s western province of Tete, in 2011. Image by Peter Fredenburg via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Manuel Mario Nazare, a conservationist with…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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