Can Africa Make Its Own mRNA Vaccines Without Waiting for the West?
When Moderna declined to license or assist with its mRNA vaccine technology in 2021, Afrigen Biologics in Cape Town reverse-engineered a version anyway, without Moderna's involvement. Five years on, Afrigen has become the first African facility certified to manufacture experimental biologics for human trials.
Can Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Actually Stop Malaria, and Why Did a Government Just Shut the Trial Down?
On 11 August 2025, researchers at Burkina Faso's Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante released around 16,000 genetically modified mosquitoes into a village in the country's Western Region, the first release of its kind on the African continent. Seven days later, the government ordered the entire programme shut down.
Scientists are Bringing Extinct Species Back. Here's How Close They Actually Are.
De-extinction has moved from thought experiment to active laboratory work. Here's what scientists are actually building.