Africa

An artist's rendering of the extinct hypercarnivore

This Toothy Carnivore Was Bigger Than a Polar Bear

Some 22 million years ago, the apex predator ruled the forests of Africa and dined on the ancestors of hippopotamuses and elephants

Close-up of a wildebeest, also called gnus or wildebai, in the grasslands of the Masai Mara in Kenya, August 2018.

Twelve Epic Migratory Journeys Animals Take Every Spring

As temperatures rise and foliage blooms in the north, creatures from insects to whales set out for long treks across the planet

Gold tells the "story that colonialism sought to deny, of indigenous, structured, wonderful, cultured civilizations," says the Smithsonian's Gus Casely-Hayford.

Why There Is More to Gold Than Meets the Eye

The Smithsonian’s Gus Casely-Hayford says the precious metal was both a foundation for massive West African empires and a cultural touchstone

Redoshi seen in “The Negro Farmer: Extension Work for Better Farming and Better Living"

Researcher Identifies the Last Living Survivor of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Redoshi was 12 when she was kidnapped and sold to the crew of the <i>Clotilda</i>

Cyclone Idai Brings Death and Devastation to Southern Africa

‘Almost everything is destroyed,’ said an aid worker in the city of Beira, Mozambique

Much of the discussion has centered on the soon-to-be-finished Humboldt Forum, scheduled to open later this year that will house a large collection of ethnological artifacts.

Ministers From All 16 German States Agree to Move Forward With Restitution of Looted Treasures

Officials said they would collaborate with museums on researching and repatriating artifacts that were unlawfully taken during Germany’s colonial era

The lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar.

Defensive Spines on Tenrecs Could Come at a Cost to Brain Size

The little mammals of Madagascar appear to have undergone an evolutionary tradeoff between brain size and defensive armor

Dugger makes a stylish statement by superimposing vibrant images of women jumping and twirling over photographs of patterned mats common in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, the Veil Is a Fashion Statement

Artist Medina Dugger finds joy in a colorful yet complicated symbol of faith

Lake Malawi formed in a valley where the African tectonic plate is the process of splitting in two.

The Fishy Mystery of Lake Malawi

In the second-largest lake in Africa, fish evolution is taking place at an explosive rate. Why? Scientists are diving into the question

Unlike other horned spiders, this species boasts a soft, elongated horn

This Tarantula Species Has a Weird, Deflated Horn on Its Back

The defining horn, which features a hard base punctuated by a bulbous, “bag-like” body, extends over the spider's back

Wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas captured snapshots of the elusive creature at Kenya’s Laikipia Wilderness Camp

See Stunning New Photos of Rare African Black Leopard

Wildlife photographer used camera traps to record high-quality images of the elusive creature, while a team of researchers released separate video footage

A health worker in protective gear works at an Ebola treatment centre in Beni, Eastern Congo in September 2018.

Ebola Outbreak in the Congo Has Killed 500 People, Including 100 Children

Efforts to bring the crisis under control are being hampered by violent conflicts and widespread misconceptions about the infection

Mansa Musa as seen in the Catalan Atlas.

New Exhibition Highlights Story of the Richest Man Who Ever Lived

Read about Mansa Musa, emperor of Mali, who once disrupted Egypt's economy just by passing through

A traveler taking lessons at one of the surf camps along Morocco's Atlantic coast.

Morocco’s 'Hippie Trail' Still Pulses With Bohemian Counterculture

From the 1950s to 1970s, thousands of flower children made a spiritual pilgrimage through northwest Africa

Uroplatus finaritra, a new species of leaf-tailed gecko.

Newly Discovered Leaf-Tailed Gecko From Madagascar Is Already Threatened by Pet Trade

The master of camouflage is about 4-inches-long and hides amid dead leaves

Toto's 'Africa' Will Play Forever—Or at Least Until the Next Windstorm—in the Namib Desert

An art installation is playing an endless loop of the 1982 earworm in an undisclosed location in the desert along Africa's southwest coast

Drawing of a helicopter on a wall of a house located at the first American helicopter crash site in Mogadishu. The Somali word on the helicopter's side, kulva, is an attempt to spell the word "Cobra," which was one kind of helicopter used to attack the village.

The Legacy of Black Hawk Down

Twenty-five years after the battle chronicled in the best-selling book, the author argues that we've learned the wrong lessons about fighting terrorism

Ducklings that hatched in October were reared in lakeside pens, then transferred to the floating aviaries in early December.

One of the World’s Rarest Birds Has Been Reintroduced to the Wild in Madagascar

The 21 Madagascar pochards seem to be faring well in their new home

Museum of Black Civilizations in Dakar, Senegal.

Sprawling Museum of Black Civilizations Opens in Senegal

The launch comes as Senegal is requesting the repatriation of looted artworks from France

Fruit Flies First Began Feeding on Our Fresh Produce About 10,000 Years Ago

It turns out the insects love marula fruit found in south-central Africa, which attracted them to human caves

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