Central Africa

A lab assistant looks at an assay plate to prepare sequencing at the Wellcome Sanger Institute that is operated by Genome Research in Cambridge, Thursday, March 4, 2021.

From Congo to Chile, small labs are playing a growing role in global understanding of COVID

Scientists are tracking the evolution and spread of SARS-CoV-2 and developing critical responses to it. Efforts have ramped up a lot this year — thanks to a growing global network. 

From Congo to Chile, small labs are playing a growing role in global understanding of COVID
elephants

Report: African wildlife threatened by militia poaching

Report: African wildlife threatened by militia poaching
Rose Nakimuli

23 women have been murdered in these Ugandan towns since May. Police blame witchcraft.

23 women have been murdered in these Ugandan towns since May. Police blame witchcraft.
Artisanal gold miners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo use their hands and crude tools to find and extract gold.

Tracing conflict gold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tracing conflict gold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Fortuné gets up at 4 a.m. to prepare homemade spaghetti, which he starts selling at his stand at 6 a.m.

Fortuné’s big dreams and small spaghetti business

Fortuné’s big dreams and small spaghetti business
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, and Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza speak to the press in Gitega, Burundi.

US Ambassador Samantha Power: 'The match could be laid' to ignite Burundi conflict

Burundi’s leader seems hellbent on dragging his country into more ethnic violence.

US Ambassador Samantha Power: 'The match could be laid' to ignite Burundi conflict
An endangered mountain gorilla rests inside a forest in a Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Rwanada.

We still don't know for sure how Ebola reached humans

Scientists are still trying to figure out when and how the Ebola virus first emerged in humans. Many believe that fruit bats are the so-called “reservoir hosts,” but that remains to be definitively proven. Science writer David Quammen ventured deep into the forest of central Africa to try to find out for his latest book “Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus.”

We still don't know for sure how Ebola reached humans
Elephants thermal camera

Researchers are unlocking 'mating pandemonium' and other secrets of forest elephants

In the wild, animal mating is rarely a private event. Now, research shows that forest elephants take this idea to a whole new level, and the discoveries could help shed light on their relatively mysterious lives.

Researchers are unlocking 'mating pandemonium' and other secrets of forest elephants

VIDEO: A sanctuary in the Congo takes in orphaned chimpanzees

Orphaned chimpanzees are common in central Africa, their parents poached and killed for exotic restaurants or sold into the pet trade. But a sanctuary for young chimps is taking them in and hopes to return them to the wild.

VIDEO: A sanctuary in the Congo takes in orphaned chimpanzees

United States commits ground soldiers to battle militia in Uganda

The U.S. deployed about 300 special forces soldiers to Uganda to help battle the Lord's Resistance Army. Could it be a new beachhead in the War on Terror?

United States commits ground soldiers to battle militia in Uganda

Book traces history of AIDS back to 1930s, examines current outbreak's history

Dr. Jacques Pépin, who spent years battling disease in Africa, has published a new book that looks at the history of HIV/AIDS, tracing not only the current outbreak, but also looking at earlier outbreaks perhaps dating to the 1920s and 1930s.

Book traces history of AIDS back to 1930s, examines current outbreak's history

Making mobile phones conflict-free

A Dutch team is applying the principles of the fair trade to mobile phones to combat the 'conflict mineral trade.'

Making mobile phones conflict-free

Kinshasa Symphony: Central Africa's Only Symphony Orchestra

Kinshasa Symphony: Central Africa's Only Symphony Orchestra

Battling brain drain in the developing world

Cameroonian professionals, including doctors and lawyers, who are educated abroad tend not to return to their home country. The problem is common in the developing world.

Battling brain drain in the developing world

Congo crisis spotlights UN weaknesses

The crisis in eastern Congo has put the dilemma of humanitarian intervention into sharp relief as UN peacekeeping troops struggle to help civilians.

Congo crisis spotlights UN weaknesses