Author: Natasha Joseph, Commissioning Editor

Fossils may look to the untrained eye like an unremarkable set of sandy bones. But those bones can deepen or even rewrite our understanding of ancient history – and South Africa is a fossil treasure trove. Some of the country’s “treasures” have changed our own species’ family tree. These include the 1924 discovery of a juvenile skull dubbed the Taung Child and ascribed to a new hominin species called Australopithecus africanus, and the announcement in 2015 of a previously unknown hominin species, Homo naledi. Researchers have also learned a tremendous amount about the plants, animals and insects that populated ancient…

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Whether we’re socialising, shopping, banking, studying or working, billions of people around the world spend hours each day online. This digital immersion has many benefits – and plenty of pitfalls, too. Here are just a few of the articles we’ve published by academics who specialise in various aspects of online safety. They’re packed full of cautionary tales and expert advice for keeping your digital spaces safe. Identifying online scams Think it’s only the digitally unsophisticated who get trapped by online scammers? Think again. Cybersecurity expert Thembekile Olivia Mayayise warns that even some of the most seasoned internet users she knows…

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