Top stories on Nature Africa in April

Chinyere Opia 00:00

Welcome to Nature Africa Highlights. In this episode of our podcast, we'll review stories on our website and Did You Know. I am Chinyere Opia.

Chinyere Opia 00:19

Researchers have called for safer technology to protect animals from electrocution. In an article by Engela Duvenage, electric fences used around wildlife reserves and game farms are killing or harming the animals that come in contact with them - including the critically endangered pangolin. Pangolins curl into a ball to protect themselves, and when they come into contact with the fence, this action causes them to be electrocuted over and over until they die.

Data collected from a study by African Journal of Wildlife Research on a private game reserve in the Kalahari over a period of five years showed that there were 652 contacts with the main fence or tripwire by 43 vertebrate species. That amounted to one incident every 2 to 3 days. On average one animal died every 8 and a half days, a total of 213 animals. These included 40 steenbok, 28 Temminck's pangolins and 9 springbok. Larger-sized reptiles included 59 rock monitors and 28 serrated tent tortoises and fifteen kori bustards, which is Africa's largest flying bird.

Chinyere Opia 01:30

In an article by Gilbert Nakweya, researchers from the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, in Tanzania, and Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS), in Ivory Coast, have revealed that traditional snakebite treatments increase risk of death or long-term illness among farming and herding communities.

The study found that more than half of the study subjects sought traditional medicine as a first choice while experiencing the common symptoms of bleeding, body swelling, severe pain, dizziness, vomiting, high fever, and unconsciousness after snakebites.

The article mentions some suggestions on how to change this choice.

Chinyere Opia 02:12

A new study, published in Nature Immunology, has proposed a different approach for finding new TB vaccines. Paul Adepoju reported that researchers believe that rather than making a vaccine and then trying to understand how it confers protection, their approach of first understanding which cells to target, would make the vaccines much more directed.

The researchers noted that the realistic short-term goal is not a vaccine that will replace existing TB vaccines like the BCG, but one that will complement it.

The article gives more insight on this study.

Chinyere Opia 02:49

Scientists are a step closer to producing a vaccine to protect children against the life-threatening respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Di Caelers who reported on this study for Nature Africa stated that babies of women given RSVpreF vaccine in pregnancy were more than 80% less likely to contract the virus. In 2019, RSV killed more than 50,000 babies under six months, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.

The article mentioned that more than 7,000 pregnant women from 18 countries were included in the trial, with more than 3,500 babies evaluated. No safety issues were detected amongst the mothers nor the children, who were followed up to two years of age.

Chinyere Opia 03:36

If you're interested in these stories and other science-based articles, check out our Nature Africa website at nature.com/natafrica. Next on the show is Did You Know.

Chinyere Opia 03:52

Did you know Thomas Mensah is a Ghanaian-American chemical engineer and inventor who has made significant contributions to the fields of fibre optics and nanotechnology?

Mensah's work in fibre optics has helped to improve the speed and quality of internet communication. He developed a new type of fibre optic cable that allows for faster data transfer over longer distances, which has had a significant impact on the telecommunications industry.

Mensah is also a pioneer in the field of nanotechnology. He has developed new methods for producing carbon nanotubes, which have a wide range of potential applications, including in electronics, medicine, and aerospace.

Chinyere Opia 04:35

Did you know Calestous Juma was a Kenyan-born professor of the Practice of International Development at Harvard University who was known for his work in science and technology policy? He was a leading advocate for the use of technology to solve development challenges in Africa and was a key figure in the development of the African Union's Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa. Juma was also a prolific writer, publishing several books on science and technology policy, including "Innovation and Its Enemies" and "The New Harvest: Agricultural Innovation in Africa."

Chinyere Opia 05:12

Did you know Adenike O. Oluyemi is a Nigerian chemist who has made significant contributions to the field of pharmaceutical chemistry? Oluyemi has developed several new drugs for the treatment of diseases like cancer and malaria, which are major health challenges in Africa. Her research has focused on the use of natural products and medicinal plants to develop new drugs.

In addition to her work in drug development, Oluyemi has also worked on developing new methods for drug delivery, developing several drug delivery systems that allow drugs to be targeted to specific cells or tissues in the body, reducing side effects and increasing effectiveness.

Oluyemi's contributions to the field of pharmaceutical chemistry have been recognized both nationally and internationally. She has received several awards for her work, including the Nigerian Academy of Science Prize for Pharmaceutical Sciences, the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award for Women, and the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science.

Now you know!

Chinyere Opia 06:14

And that’s our show for today. To learn more about the work of many African researchers, visit our website at nature.com/natafrica.

I am Chinyere Opia. Thank you for listening.