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Our hominid ancestors Homo erectus turned rocks like this into complex tools nearly two million years ago...hundreds of thousands years earlier than previously thought. The new find helps fill in some crucial blanks in our evolutionary history. More »
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Humans are the only animals who display loyalty to individuals we don't personally know. Scientists had assumed this was a new development made possible by the rise of centralized governments. But it might actually be part of how we evolved. More »
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In the last couple years, amateur engineers from Africa have built DIY planes and helicopters out of recycled parts. These rigs look undeniably bad-ass, even if it's unclear whether they can get off the ground. More »
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We've been psyched for Pumzi, Kenyan director Wanuri Kahiu's water war featurette, ever since it made a splash at Sundance. The film may be only 20 minutes long, but Kahiu's depiction of a parched authoritarian arcology is stunning. More »
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One of the standout science fiction films at this year's Sundance Festival is Wanuri Kahiu's short Pumzi, set in Kenya of the future, after water wars have decimated humanity. With its African futurist look, this could be another District 9. More »
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A new mobile phone-based device called Block&Track, the result of several homebrew hacks by a young Kenyan inventor, acts as a quick and dirty car theft prevention gadget. The device sits in your car and sends a message to your cell phone when somebody starts the engine. At that point, you can send a command that will alert the police, shut down your engine, and activate a listening device that captures sound inside your car. Not only can you stop auto theft before it happens, but you can get your own private Cops show when you listen in as the cops bust the thieves. More »
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Plastic flip flop sandals discarded in the oceans off the coast of Asia have formed a new kind of fauna on the coast of Northern Kenya. So many sandals wash ashore that over the past decade locals have begun harvesting them, turning them into colorful toys, and selling them for more money than they could make from fishing, the area's former main industry. After a 2003 documentary, Flip Flotsam, called attention to Kenya's flip flop harvests, a small nonprofit called UniqEco began methodically helping locals ply their craft via the Flip Flop Recycling Project. More »
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