Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrew S. Cohen, Andrew Du, John Rowan, Chad L. Yost, Anne L. Billingsley, Christopher J. Campisano, Erik T. Brown, Alan L. Deino, Craig S. Feibel, Katharine Grant, John D. Kingston, Rachel L. Lupien, Veronica Muiruri, R. Bernhart Owen, Kaye E. Reed, James Russell, Mona Stockhecke
Summary: Understanding the impact of environmental variability on mammalian macroevolution is crucial in African paleoclimatology and evolutionary biology. By compiling a comprehensive history of Pan-African environmental variability and estimating speciation and extinction rates, this study found no statistically significant relationship between environmental variability and macroevolutionary processes, contradicting the variability selection hypothesis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Joan Madurell-Malapeira, Antonio Rodriguez-Hidalgo, Hassan Aouraghe, Hamid Haddoumi, Saverio Bartolini Lucenti, Aicha Oujaa, Palmira Saladie, Said Bengamra, Juan Marin, Mohamed Souhir, Mourad Farkouch, Hicham Mhamdi, Al Mahdi Aissa, Lars Werdelin, M. Gema Chacon, Robert Sala-Ramos
Summary: The study describes a new small-sized species of Dinofelis from North Africa, which is smaller than previously known African Dinofelis and likely occupies a different ecological niche. This discovery adds complexity to the high intraspecific competition among large carnivorans in the Plio-Pleistocene of Africa.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jing Yang, Junsheng Nie, Eduardo Garzanti, Mara Limonta, Sergio Ando, Pieter Vermeesch, Haobo Zhang, Xiaofei Hu, Zhao Wang, Baojin Zhao, Lindani Ncube, Thomas Stevens, Maotong Li, Hua Li, Taian Chen, Yunfa Miao, Baotian Pan
Summary: Understanding the evolution of river systems in southern Africa is crucial for controlling landscape evolution and sediment distribution patterns. Based on evidence such as heavy-mineral assemblages, magnetic susceptibility, detrital-zircon geochronology, and geomorphological analysis, it is suggested that the current Limpopo River formed recently in the Plio-Quaternary. Climate change is believed to have played a key role in the recent dynamics of river drainage.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Nadine Berner, Martin H. Trauth, Matthias Holschneider
Summary: Over the past 5 million years, the Earth's ocean-atmosphere system has gone through significant transitions, some of which are believed to be associated with human evolution. Using a kernel-based Bayesian inference approach, this study successfully identified the location and temporal scale of multiple transitions in Plio-Pleistocene African climate records. The findings reveal two distinct transitions in African climate around 2.35-2.10 million years ago and 1.70-1.50 million years ago.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Benjamin L. Rice, Akshaya Annapragada, Rachel E. Baker, Marjolein Bruijning, Winfred Dotse-Gborgbortsi, Keitly Mensah, Ian F. Miller, Nkengafac Villyen Motaze, Antso Raherinandrasana, Malavika Rajeev, Julio Rakotonirina, Tanjona Ramiadantsoa, Fidisoa Rasambainarivo, Weiyu Yu, Bryan T. Grenfell, Andrew J. Tatem, C. Jessica E. Metcalf
Summary: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has shown low burdens in sub-Saharan Africa compared to other regions, potentially influenced by factors such as climate and population demographics. Caution is needed when interpreting analyses that aggregate data from low- and middle-income settings. Heterogeneity in connectivity across sub-Saharan Africa may contribute to variance in the pace of viral spread.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Duncan McCloskey, Aggrey Semeere, Racheal Ayanga, Miriam Laker-Oketta, Robert Lukande, Matthew Semakadde, Micheal Kanyesigye, Megan Wenger, Philip LeBoit, Timothy McCalmont, Toby Maurer, Andrea Gardner, Juan Boza, Ethel Cesarman, Jeffrey Martin, David Erickson
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of a point-of-care device for molecular diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), achieving high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy compared to traditional pathology. The results highlight the potential for the use of this diagnostic method to overcome barriers in limited-resource settings.
Editorial Material
Food Science & Technology
David Laborde, Valeria Pineiro
Summary: The Russia-Ukraine conflict had an impact on staple crop prices and stimulated interest in tropical wheat production. Regional consumption patterns and trade have a better potential to guide effective and sustainable food security policy strategies.
Review
Urology & Nephrology
Danielle Whiting, Asiimwe Ian Shane, Rachel Pope, Stephen Payne, Suzie Venn
Summary: Urinary incontinence is highly prevalent among women in sub-Saharan Africa, with non-fistulous stress, urgency, and mixed urinary incontinence being the most common types. Both obstetric and non-obstetric factors contribute to the development of urinary incontinence. The condition has significant social and emotional consequences, and there is a lack of understanding and awareness surrounding its etiology in sub-Saharan Africa. More resources and trained specialists are needed to address the needs of women with non-fistulous leakage in the region.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Richmond Silvanus Baye, Albert Ahenkan, Samuel Darkwah
Summary: This paper examines the underlying factors driving renewable energy output in Sub-Saharan African countries, finding that factors such as CO2 emissions, income levels, oil prices, trade openness, and natural resource rents play a significant role. The study proposes several policy recommendations, including incorporating environmental awareness into national development plans, encouraging middle-class consumption of renewable energy, and implementing and expanding feed-in-tariff systems.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Thomas P. Higginbottom, Roshan Adhikari, Ralitza Dimova, Sarah Redicker, Timothy Foster
Summary: The study reveals that only 16% of the proposed irrigated area is being delivered in 79 irrigation schemes across sub-Saharan Africa, with 25% delivering over 80% and 20% completely inactive. The findings are attributed to low economic viability, excessive optimism, and inadequate central bureaucratic systems in irrigation development.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Vijesh V. Krishna, Maximina A. Lantican, B. M. Prasanna, Kevin Pixley, Tahirou Abdoulaye, Abebe Menkir, Marianne Banziger, Olaf Erenstein
Summary: This study examines the adoption and impacts of CGIAR-related maize varieties in sub-Saharan Africa from 1995 to 2015. It finds that a significant proportion of maize varieties released during this period had CGIAR parentage, and that the cultivation of these varieties contributed to substantial economic benefits. The study also highlights the methodological challenges involved in large-scale impact assessments.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Zixuan Cai, Xin Meng, Dennis Nyirenda, Wilson Mandala, Xiaoyun Li, Dong Yang
Summary: The study found that in sub-Saharan Africa, Ugali fortified with Chinese onion stalk is more preferred than plain Ugali, possibly due to umami components in Chinese onion stalk serving as taste enhancer.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Katherine A. Collett, Stephanie A. Hirmer, Holger Dalkmann, Constance Crozier, Yacob Mulugetta, Malcolm D. McCulloch
Summary: Transport demand in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasing due to population growth and economic development, leading to a rise in emissions. Despite the limited presence of electric vehicles in the region, they have the potential to offer benefits to governments, power systems, and vehicle owner-operators.
ENERGY STRATEGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
C. Wade Ross, Niall P. Hanan, Lara Prihodko, Julius Anchang, Wenjie Ji, Qiuyan Yu
Summary: This study explores the socioenvironmental conditions shaping the distribution of woody vegetation in sub-Saharan Africa and evaluates ecosystem responses to various scenarios. Climate change is projected to have a negative impact on above-ground woody biomass, exacerbated by population growth, human pressures, and changes in fire behavior. Regional perturbations show increased carbon storage potential in East Africa, while deficits are seen in West, Central, and Southern Africa.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Kenneth J. Boote, Adegbola T. Adesogan, Mulubrhan Balehegn, Alan Duncan, James P. Muir, Jose C. B. Dubeux, Esteban F. Rios
Summary: Livestock systems are crucial for the sustainability and livelihood in sub-Saharan Africa, but face challenges such as low productivity and insufficient management practices. This special issue addresses key aspects of crop and livestock systems in SSA, aiming to provide insight for future development and implementation of efficient and sustainable integrated systems.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Taro Nojiri, Vuong Tan Tu, Joon Hyuk Sohn, Daisuke Koyabu
Summary: The recent cases applying Haeckel's view to interpret interspecific variation of prenatal ontogeny have challenged the validity of Haeckel's recapitulation theory. By studying the prenatal ossification timing of the petrosal bone in bats, it was found that the trait developmental timing is evolutionarily labile and does not support Haeckel's recapitulation theory in many cases.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Virology
Feng Zhu, Veasna Duong, Xiao Fang Lim, Vibol Hul, Tanu Chawla, Lucy Keatts, Tracey Goldstein, Alexandre Hassanin, Vuong Tan Tu, Philippe Buchy, October M. Sessions, Lin-Fa Wang, Philippe Dussart, Danielle E. Anderson
Summary: Bats are considered an important reservoir for viruses, especially coronaviruses. A novel bat coronavirus, GCCDC1, was found in four different bat species in Cambodia, indicating a broader geographic and bat species range for this virus as well as cross-species transmission. Interestingly, a bat sample also showed co-infection with an Alpha coronavirus related to a virus discovered in Yunnan, China in 2020. These findings highlight the need for active surveillance in bats to assess the risk of emerging coronaviruses, particularly in Southeast Asia.
Article
Virology
Alexandre Hassanin, Opale Rambaud, Dylan Klein
Summary: Recombination generates mosaic genomes with mixed ancestry, complicating evolutionary inference. Researchers developed a sliding window bootstrap method to identify regions supporting phylogenetic relationships in bat coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Results revealed that most relationships were supported by a few genomic regions, confirming the presence of three distinct lineages in bats from Yunnan.
Article
Zoology
Geraldine Veron, Caroline Daniel, Paolo Pagani, Emmanuel Do Linh San, Andrew C. Kitchener, Alexandre Hassanin
Summary: Phylogeographical patterns of African mammals are influenced by Pleistocene environmental fluctuations and geographical barriers, impacting species differently based on habitat preferences and dispersal capabilities. The marsh mongoose and white-tailed mongoose were studied to compare their phylogeographical patterns, revealing differences in genetic structure based on their habitat preferences and dispersal abilities.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Steven M. M. Goodman
Summary: The terrestrial and marine biotypes of Madagascar are of great importance for conservation due to their exceptional levels of endemic species, species diversity, and human threats in relation to their land area. Field inventories and molecular-based research have significantly expanded knowledge of the country's biota, with some groups experiencing exponential growth in species diversity measures. This study provides updated measures of estimated species diversity by comparing data from a book published in 2003 to a comprehensive update published in 2022. The comparison offers insights into scientific advancements and revised estimates of species richness and endemism for various taxonomic groups in Madagascar.
Article
Virology
Alexandre Hassanin, Opale Rambaud
Summary: A new method called coloured genomic bootstrap (CGB) barcodes is proposed to study the origins of coronaviruses and understand their host and geographic origins. The study reveals that SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 contain genomic regions of mixed ancestry from horseshoe bat viruses. Different regions of the viruses share exclusive ancestry with various Rhinolophus viruses from different regions of China and Southeast Asia, supporting their emergence in these bat species. However, further research is needed to investigate the diversity of coronaviruses in bats from other Southeast Asian countries.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nathan M. Michielsen, Steven M. Goodman, Voahangy Soarimalala, Alexandra A. E. van der Geer, Liliana M. Davalos, Grace Saville, Nathan Upham, Luis Valente
Summary: Many unique species in Madagascar are at risk of extinction, and the long-term impact of these extinctions in terms of evolutionary history is unknown. By analyzing the phylogenetic dataset of Madagascar's non-marine mammals, researchers estimated the natural rates of extinction, colonization, and speciation. The results showed that the extinction of currently threatened species would have a much greater impact on evolution than previous extinctions since human arrival. Immediate conservation actions are needed to prevent an imminent extinction wave with significant evolutionary consequences.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Romain Sabroux, Laure Corbari, Alexandre Hassanin
Summary: The phylogeny of sea spiders is still debated, but this study supports the monophyly of most accepted families. The research also discusses the morphological evolution of sea spiders and provides arguments for their origin during the Jurassic period or earlier.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Virology
Manon Curaudeau, Camille Besombes, Emmanuel Nakoune, Arnaud Fontanet, Antoine Gessain, Alexandre Hassanin
Summary: This study identified the distribution of Monkeypox virus in African mammal genera and predicted the geographic distributions of these species. By analyzing niche overlap with MPXV, the most probable animal reservoir was determined to be the red-cheeked squirrel.
Article
Zoology
Vuong Tan Tu, Neil M. Furey, Tamas Gorfol, Alexandre Hassanin, Satoru Arai, Daisuke Koyabu, Bounsavane Douangboubpha, Gabor Csorba
Summary: This study integrates multiple data sources to re-evaluate the taxonomic status of Rhinolophus rex rex, R. r. paradoxolophus and R. schnitzleri. Contrary to the current taxonomic view, the results indicate that these taxa are actually representatives of a single, widely distributed and morphologically variable species, R. rex. The recognition of different subspecies or distinct species based on morphological and acoustic data should be regarded as invalid.
VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Colette Cordonin, Yann Gomard, Ara Monadjem, M. Corrie Schoeman, Gildas Le Minter, Erwan Lagadec, Eduardo S. Gudo, Steven M. Goodman, Koussay Dellagi, Patrick Mavingui, Pablo Tortosa
Summary: Madagascar is a hotspot for endemic mammals and zoonotic pathogens. This study focused on bats and Leptospira infections to investigate whether these pathogens were acquired on the island or brought from continental Africa. The researchers found a wide diversity of Leptospira lineages in bats from Mozambique and concluded that bat colonists likely crossed the Mozambique Channel while infected with pathogenic Leptospira.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Vincent Prie
Summary: The introduction of freshwater mussels in France was unintentional and relatively recent. The available information on introduced freshwater bivalves in France, based on the data provided by the French National Database (INPN) and environmental DNA data, shows that the introductions were mainly by sea or through the European river system and canals. Fish transport within France is also an important dispersal vector. The use of eDNA was effective in completing the species distribution maps.
Article
Immunology
Camille Besombes, Festus Mbrenga, Laura Schaeffer, Christian Malaka, Ella Gonofio, Jordi Landier, Ulrich Vickos, Xavier Konamna, Benjamin Selekon, Joella Namsenei Dankpea, Cassandre Von Platen, Franck Gislain Houndjahoue, Daniel Sylver Ouaimon, Alexandre Hassanin, Nicolas Berthet, Jean-Claude Manuguerra, Antoine Gessain, Arnaud Fontanet, Emmanuel Nakoune-Yandoko
Summary: This study analyzed monkeypox disease surveillance in the Central African Republic from 2001 to 2021. The results show an increasing trend of confirmed outbreaks since 2018, with a majority of cases occurring in forested regions bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The median age of confirmed cases was 15.5 years, and the overall case-fatality ratio was 7.5%. The study suggests that decreasing cross-protective immunity from smallpox vaccination and recent ecological changes contribute to the rise in monkeypox outbreaks in Central Africa.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)