Africa Archives - State of the Planet

Anticipating and Tracking Climate Refugees in a Warming Africa

Researchers are looking at what drives climate migration, and how it might best be handled.

by |July 6, 2023

Two Studies Push Upright Ape Origins in Africa Back by 10 Million Years

Analyses of plant remains and other evidence show that the landscapes our ape ancestors evolved in existed much earlier than previously thought.

by |May 2, 2023

Otters the Size of Lions Once Roamed the Earth

Enhydriodon omoensis dwarfed ancestors of humans who lived alongside it from 2.5 to 3.5 million years ago; the two species may have competed for food.

by |September 6, 2022

17 Million-Year-Old Teeth Open Windows Into Early Ape and Human Evolution

A new study shows that natural variants of oxygen within ancient animal teeth recorded details of seasonal rainfall, environmental conditions and animal behavior.

by |August 22, 2022

Climate & Water in a Changing Africa: Uncertainty, Adaptation & the Social Construction of Fragile Environments

A special issue for the journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences examines water (in)security in Africa in an age of global climate change.

by Harry Verhoeven |September 28, 2021

Upcoming Scientific Fieldwork: 2021 and Beyond

Earth Institute researchers are in the field studying the dynamics of the planet on every continent and every ocean. Here is a list of projects.

by |August 24, 2021

Hidden Within African Diamonds, a Billion-Plus Years of Deep-Earth History

Fluids trapped within the stones are helping researchers reconstruct the deep history of the continent, and eventually maybe others.

by |May 11, 2021

Age Newly Verified, One of Oldest Prehuman Fossils Leads to New Finds

Controversy over the age of an early fossil of Homo erectus has been settled, and has led to other specimens.

by |April 13, 2021
scientist installing a sensor near a fence

First Air Quality Profile of Two Sub-Saharan African Cities Finds Troubling News

A new study finds that that even when air pollution in Kinshasa and Brazzaville is at its lowest, it’s still four times higher than World Health Organization guidelines.

by |April 6, 2021

Fast-Growing Parts of Africa See a Surprise: Less Air Pollution From Seasonal Fires

Unfortunately, growing urban emissions mean that the reprieve may only be temporary.

by |February 8, 2021