75 years of Kon-Tiki: ‘Thor Heyerdahl’s theory of Polynesian-indigenous American contact still relevant today’

Two years ago, a study in Nature had said that about 2-5% of Polynesian DNA is from present-day Colombia, vindicating Heyerdahl

Uncovering the genetic basis of mental illness requires data and tools that aren’t just based on white people

Genomic sequencing can provide personalised treatment to the mentally ill only if genetic variations of all ancestries are represented in …

How the Ice Ages spurred the evolution of New Zealand’s weird and wiry native plants

Frosty and droughty climates posed direct physiological challenges to plants, but they also left them more exposed to browsing; they thus …

Tracing the history of farming across Africa gives clues to low production outputs

The focus must move from what the developed world dictates to what Africa needs. This requires countries developing production systems and …

Of Van Riebeeck and the ‘Big Boss’: European colonisation decimated Cape Buffalo in South Africa, study finds

Several large mammals were hunted to extinction or near-extinction during the 3 centuries of colonial rule in the region