After a recent summit, leaders from east and southern Africa called for an immediate ceasefire to end the fighting in eastern DR Congo. Willing the warring parties listen?
After a fire kills 16 children in Zamfara state, north western Nigeria, how can schools there be made safer?
How will Sam Nujoma the first president of Namibia be remembered?
Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Victor Sylver, Patricia Whitehorne, and Nyasha Michelle in London with Frenny Jowi in Nairobi.
Technical Producer: Frank McWeeny
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
We meet a volunteer vet who helps animals in need around the world. He says it's taught him to love life, and accept people. Also: an 88 year old foster dad; the joy of rare baby frogs; and why a pub gave away 300 pints.
Some of our biggest achievements happen in the first years of our lives. Taking our first steps, picking up a complex language from scratch, and forming relationships with some of the most important people we’ll ever meet. But when we try to remember this period of great change, we often draw a blank.
After losing his Dad aged four, CrowdScience listener Colin has grappled with this. Why can’t he recall memories of such a monumental figure in his life, yet superficial relationships from his teens remain crystal clear in his mind? Colin takes presenter Marnie Chesterton to visit some of the significant locations of his childhood, places he would have spent many hours with his late father; and he recounts his earliest memories.
On this trip down memory lane, Marnie discovers the psychological reason behind our lack of early childhood memories comes down to a phenomenon known as infantile amnesia. Tomás Ryan, neuroscientist at Trinity College Dublin, discusses some of the theories behind this universal experience, and Sarah Power from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development discusses her groundbreaking study exploring this form of forgetting in real time. Elaine Reese from the University of Otago digs into how our environment and culture can influence the age of our earliest memories, and why some of the first things we remember might not be the big, huge events you’d expect. And we hear about fascinating new insights from animal studies that hint these memories could still be lurking inside our heads...
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Julia Ravey
Content Editor: Cathy Edwards
Production Co-ordinators: Ishmael Soriano & Josie Hardy
Technical producer: Emma Harth
(Photo: Marnie Chesterton and CrowdScience listener, Colin, on the swings in Belfast.)
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved to defuse a row with the new US administration over a new land law by speaking to Elon Musk. However, President Ramaphosa has said his country "will not be bullied". What's at stake for the country?
Also why have Moroccans decided to call a general strike? It's the first one in almost a decade
And Rwanda faces allegations of sports washing, a claim the country denies. What's going on?
Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Bella Hassan and Nysaha Michelle
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard
French president Emmanuel Macron recently announced that Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa painting will be moved to her very own room at the Louvre, as part of a plan to renovate the iconic museum.
And that got us thinking. Once the crowds have gone home every night, the Mona Lisa will be all by herself, with no other paintings to smile at enigmatically across the room.
So this week, we are talking all things isolation. We start things off by finding out about a key cognitive skill that may have been impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns.
Next, we discover more about the history of loneliness and the impact it can have on your health, before discussing what evolutionary roads isolated island species will go down.
Plus, we’re joined by Professor Jonathan Harrington from the University of Munich. He reveals how our accents can be affected by isolation.
That, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenters: Marnie Chesterton, with Christine Yohannes and Affelia Wibisono.
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Dan Welsh, William Hornbrook and Imaan Moin.
The mystery swarm of small earthquakes near the island of Santorini beg for more data collection. Also, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US goes offline and whales learn song like kids learn language.
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Alex Mansfield
Production co-ordinator: Josie Hardy
Kenya's Business Registration Service (BRS) reveals a major data breach has exposed sensitive information of numerous private companies
Will the killing of several key jihadist militants spell the end of IS in Somalia?
And how will the late Aga Khan, leader of millions of Shia Ismaili Muslims, be remembered?
Presenter: Blessing Aderogba
Producers: Charles Gitonga in Nairobi with Bella Hassan and Amie Liebowitz in London.
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer:
Editors : Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi.
This episode has been edited to correct an editorial error
Gabon's military government recently announced that the presidential elections will be held on the 12th of April. It's a key step to re-establish civilian rule following a coup in August 2023. How significant is this?
Also Dutch authorities say one of Europe's most-wanted fugitives has been living in Sierra Leone. Who is he and what do we know so far?
And what does the new passport issued by the Alliance of Sahel States mean?
Presenter: Blessing Aderogba in Lagos
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Producers: Bella Hassan and Yvette Twagiramariya in London
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Uganda’s Supreme Court recently ruled that trying civilians in military courts is unconstitutional. Human rights groups welcomed the decision as a major step in protecting the right to a fair trial, but the government criticized the move. Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni said his government would continue to prosecute civilians in military tribunals, despite the ruling. We hear analysis of this.
Also the government in Botswana has struck a new deal with the diamond mining giant De Beers. What's the deal and how does Botswana benefit?
And Langa, the old game from Nigeria, gets a new lease of life!
Presenter: Blessing Aderogba
Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya and Bella Hassan in London
Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
President Donald Trump has said he will cut all future funding to South Africa over allegations that it was confiscating land. South Africa's President Ramaphosa says that is not true.
Concerns that the conflict in eastern DR Congo could spread deadly diseases.
And what is are the reasons behind Namibia's high unemployment.
Presenter: Blessing Aderogba
Producers: Frenny Jowi and Charles Gitonga in Nairobi with Victor Sylver and Nyasha Michelle in London.
Senior Producer :Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
