Elsabe Brits
@elsabebrits.bsky.social
Science and medical journalist|Freelance.🇿🇦
Researcher, consultant at The Story of Emily Museum in Cornwall | Biographer of Emily Hobhouse.
https://thestoryofemily.com/stories-of-emily
Researcher, consultant at The Story of Emily Museum in Cornwall | Biographer of Emily Hobhouse.
https://thestoryofemily.com/stories-of-emily
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
Stone arrow tips from South Africa show humans used poison for hunting 60,000 years ago, far earlier than thought.
theconversation.com/arrow-tips-f...
#ScienceAndTech
theconversation.com/arrow-tips-f...
#ScienceAndTech
Arrow tips found in South Africa are the oldest evidence of poison use in hunting
The discovery that small stone arrow tips were treated with plant poison 60,000 years ago means that ancient African hunters were capable of complex thinking.
theconversation.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Stone arrow tips from South Africa show humans used poison for hunting 60,000 years ago, far earlier than thought.
theconversation.com/arrow-tips-f...
#ScienceAndTech
theconversation.com/arrow-tips-f...
#ScienceAndTech
@cschlebu.bsky.social and @uj-palaeo.bsky.social article about your Nature paper.
It seems that southern Africa provided an ecological refuge where people adapted successfully for more than 200,000 years – without other hunter-gatherer groups coming in from elsewhere.
10,000-year-old genomes from southern Africa reshape our understanding of human evolution | Daily Maverick
www.dailymaverick.co.za
December 7, 2025 at 2:57 PM
@cschlebu.bsky.social and @uj-palaeo.bsky.social article about your Nature paper.
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
It seems that southern Africa provided an ecological refuge where people adapted successfully for more than 200,000 years – without other hunter-gatherer groups coming in from elsewhere.
10,000-year-old genomes from southern Africa reshape our understanding of human evolution | Daily Maverick
www.dailymaverick.co.za
December 7, 2025 at 12:33 PM
It seems that southern Africa provided an ecological refuge where people adapted successfully for more than 200,000 years – without other hunter-gatherer groups coming in from elsewhere.
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
In the first study of its kind, the researchers assessed lead concentrations in the tibias of 62 cheetah carcasses and 11 leopard carcasses. Lead poisoning has far-reaching impacts on humans and domestic animals, with implications for the ecosystem and the meat we consume.
Study of cheetahs and leopards shows lead poisoning threatens wildlife and humans | Daily Maverick
www.dailymaverick.co.za
November 27, 2025 at 12:58 AM
In the first study of its kind, the researchers assessed lead concentrations in the tibias of 62 cheetah carcasses and 11 leopard carcasses. Lead poisoning has far-reaching impacts on humans and domestic animals, with implications for the ecosystem and the meat we consume.
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
The judiciary and the legal profession carry immense cultural power. Judges and advocates are not only interpreters of law, they are custodians of the nation’s moral vocabulary. When they resort to chauvinistic metaphors or cultural relativism to explain away misogyny, they do more than offend; ...
When justice speaks the language of patriarchy, the law loses its moral voice
www.dailymaverick.co.za
November 7, 2025 at 9:39 PM
The judiciary and the legal profession carry immense cultural power. Judges and advocates are not only interpreters of law, they are custodians of the nation’s moral vocabulary. When they resort to chauvinistic metaphors or cultural relativism to explain away misogyny, they do more than offend; ...
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
Additional context on Rosalind Franklin - www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Her name should be acknowledged with the same prominence as Crick & Watson.
Her name should be acknowledged with the same prominence as Crick & Watson.
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Additional context on Rosalind Franklin - www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Her name should be acknowledged with the same prominence as Crick & Watson.
Her name should be acknowledged with the same prominence as Crick & Watson.
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
Over the past 10 years, researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand analysed small tissue samples of 1,586 children under five who died at public health facilities in Soweto. Results show that more than half of the deaths in newborns and about a third in infants were caused by just two ...
Two superbugs cause more than half the infections that kill newborns in Soweto
www.dailymaverick.co.za
November 7, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Over the past 10 years, researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand analysed small tissue samples of 1,586 children under five who died at public health facilities in Soweto. Results show that more than half of the deaths in newborns and about a third in infants were caused by just two ...
What a great tragedy. Jane Goodall. Thank you for the tireless work.
October 1, 2025 at 6:05 PM
What a great tragedy. Jane Goodall. Thank you for the tireless work.
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
Two researchers explain the disinformation tactics used by Christian fundamentalist groups to attack transgender and gender-diverse people.
HELL-BENT ON EXCLUSION: The why behind the surge in Christian fundamentalist hate against transgender people
www.dailymaverick.co.za
June 29, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Two researchers explain the disinformation tactics used by Christian fundamentalist groups to attack transgender and gender-diverse people.
Two genes found to shed new light on breast cancer in Black women share.google/FIGdzaUGBETA...
Two genes found to shed new light on breast cancer in Black women
Genetic risk factors may account for up to 30% of all cases in African women.
share.google
June 28, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Two genes found to shed new light on breast cancer in Black women share.google/FIGdzaUGBETA...
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
Stone tools from a cave on South Africa’s coast speak of life at the end of the Ice Age theconversation.com/stone-tools-...
Stone tools from a cave on South Africa’s coast speak of life at the end of the Ice Age
Stone tools from different sites suggest people long ago were connected over a huge region and shared ideas.
theconversation.com
June 21, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Stone tools from a cave on South Africa’s coast speak of life at the end of the Ice Age theconversation.com/stone-tools-...
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
May 30, 2025 at 11:19 AM
www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025...
Sent with my Daily Maverick App (app.dailymaverick.co.za)
@heriuct.bsky.social
Sent with my Daily Maverick App (app.dailymaverick.co.za)
@heriuct.bsky.social
Ancient protein from pre-human teeth reveals secrets of human evolutionary tree
Researchers have extracted 2 million-year-old protein remains from ancient pre-human teeth to reveal biological sex and genetic variability.
www.dailymaverick.co.za
May 29, 2025 at 9:27 PM
www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025...
Sent with my Daily Maverick App (app.dailymaverick.co.za)
@heriuct.bsky.social
Sent with my Daily Maverick App (app.dailymaverick.co.za)
@heriuct.bsky.social
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
Another day of reminding everyone of Carl Sagan’s eerily accurate warning about the dangers of not being able to ask skeptical scientific questions to those in power or authority.
May 8, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Another day of reminding everyone of Carl Sagan’s eerily accurate warning about the dangers of not being able to ask skeptical scientific questions to those in power or authority.
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
On this sad news day, here is a blackback lowland gorilla from Gabon to cheer you up!
April 21, 2025 at 2:24 PM
On this sad news day, here is a blackback lowland gorilla from Gabon to cheer you up!
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
I took some time to write up my thoughts about the process of review and publication in @elife.bsky.social of our recent paper on Homo naledi burial evidence. It was a great process in many ways, that built up a strong interdisciplinary result.
johnhawks.net/weblog/buria...
johnhawks.net/weblog/buria...
Research highlight: Burials by Homo naledi
After two years of intense reviews and revision, the work on burial evidence from this ancient hominin finds acceptance.
johnhawks.net
March 30, 2025 at 3:10 PM
I took some time to write up my thoughts about the process of review and publication in @elife.bsky.social of our recent paper on Homo naledi burial evidence. It was a great process in many ways, that built up a strong interdisciplinary result.
johnhawks.net/weblog/buria...
johnhawks.net/weblog/buria...
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
Learn about our impacts and meet our team, in our 2023/2024 biennial report bit.ly/4bzL8lq Thank you to our partners and supporters for your contribution to realising a society where children are valued and nurtured, and can participate, develop and thrive. #EngagedScholarship #KnowledgeTranslation
March 18, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Learn about our impacts and meet our team, in our 2023/2024 biennial report bit.ly/4bzL8lq Thank you to our partners and supporters for your contribution to realising a society where children are valued and nurtured, and can participate, develop and thrive. #EngagedScholarship #KnowledgeTranslation
The life of English humanitarian, whistleblower, and activist Emily Hobhouse in this week's History Extra podcast. Her work still rings true for women in war. #Herstory
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Emily Hobhouse: life of the week
Podcast Episode · History Extra podcast · 03/11/2025 · 36m
podcasts.apple.com
March 12, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The life of English humanitarian, whistleblower, and activist Emily Hobhouse in this week's History Extra podcast. Her work still rings true for women in war. #Herstory
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Reposted by Elsabe Brits
Approximately 12.5% of in-hospital patients in Africa are gravely ill, and they are not getting the care they need. Bruce Biccard of UCT's Global Surgery Division found 21% of these patients die within 7 days of admission:
www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-202...
www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-202...
March 3, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Approximately 12.5% of in-hospital patients in Africa are gravely ill, and they are not getting the care they need. Bruce Biccard of UCT's Global Surgery Division found 21% of these patients die within 7 days of admission:
www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-202...
www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-202...