A 2-million-year-old protein sequence has revealed an unexpected twist in human ancestry, one scientists didn’t see coming.

A well-armed jihadist group affiliated with al Qaeda is closing in on Bamako, the capital of Mali. The country’s military junta and their Russian partners are struggling to counter the jihadis, who ...

New research suggests the origins of modern humans may have begun by the sea in southern Africa 70,000 years ago.

Explore how Africa’s colonial borders still shape politics, conflicts, and identities across the continent today.

The Horsemen of Oyo were legendary warriors who served the Oyo Empire of West Africa. Known for their equestrian skills and bravery in battle, they played a crucial role in expanding the empire and ...

Travis Scott shattered records and expectations with his electrifying Johannesburg performance, cementing his position as one of the world’s biggest rap artists. On Saturday, 11 October, the rapper ...

In Did West Africans live in the Four Corners Region of the United States from 12th Century?, published in Ancient Origins, I discussed the Mande inscriptions found in the Four Corners region of the ...

At 92, Katrina Esau fights to preserve N|uu, South Africa’s ancient San language, endangered with her as its last first-language speaker. She started a school, wrote a book, and helped create a ...

Turns out Toby’s new trick is thousands of years old. A pair of recently discovered fossils from Africa has immortalized a small critter’s 126,000-year-old butt-dragging habit, according to ...

The General History of Africa (GHA) is a flagship initiative of the UNESCO Operational Strategy for Priority Africa (2022–2029). It seeks to fundamentally reshape how African history is taught and ...

Scientists have created a groundbreaking map of strontium isotopes found across sub-Saharan Africa—which could help descendants of enslaved people reconstruct their family histories. Strontium is an ...