🔅 From Coffee's Ancient Roots to Niger's Geopolitical Shift
Cape Town's Digital Nomad Debate, US Military Withdrawal, and the Brew That Predates Humanity
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Coffee: The Brew That's Older Than Us
Have you ever stopped to think about the origins of your daily cup of coffee? Well, buckle up because researchers have just unlocked the genome of the Arabica coffee species, and it turns out that your morning jolt has a history that predates even our own species!
The Arabica bean, which is the most appreciated by coffee connoisseurs around the world, is the result of a natural mating between two other coffee species that happened somewhere between 610,000 and one million years ago in the highlands of Ethiopia.
To put that into perspective, that's way before Homo sapiens even showed up on the scene about 300,000 years ago.
The researchers sequenced the genomes of 39 Arabica varieties, including a specimen from the 18th century (talk about a vintage brew!), to create the highest quality genome to date of this species.
The research showed that the species' population rose and fell over the millennia as the climate warmed and cooled, and it was first cultivated by people in Ethiopia and Yemen before spreading around the world.
Despite its long history, Arabica was found to have low genetic diversity due to a history of inbreeding and small population size. This makes the species susceptible to pests and diseases, which is why it can only be cultivated in a limited number of locales where climate conditions are favourable, and disease threats are lower.
While Robusta coffee (the kind commonly used in instant coffee) may be more resistant to pests and diseases, Arabica is still considered to have a superior flavour, with a milder and smoother taste that keeps coffee lovers coming back for more.
Cape Town's Digital Nomad Dilemma: Boon or Bane for the Mother City?
Picture yourself sipping on a latte in a trendy Cape Town cafe, soaking up the sun, and casually working on your laptop. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, for the new generation of digital nomads, it's a reality. But not everyone in the city is thrilled about the influx of these laptop-wielding wanderers.
Az'emahle Dyubeni, a 25-year-old South African content creator, is one of the locals who's not exactly rolling out the red carpet for the digital nomads. She's calling it a "digital nomad epidemic" that's driving up housing and living costs.
But on the other hand, city officials like Alderman James Vos are all for the digital nomad invasion.
They see it as a financial boon, with each nomad bringing in around $2,700 during their stay. Even President Cyril Ramaphosa is getting in on the action, proposing a special remote-working visa for these "so-called digital nomads."
As the debate rages on, some are calling for rent control to protect locals, while others point out the double standard in welcoming European and North American digital nomads while viewing African migrants with suspicion. You can read more about this on this BBC website.
US Military Bids Adieu to Niger: A Strategic Victory for Russia
It is a move that has the Biden administration scratching their heads and rethinking their counter-terrorism strategy: the US is set to withdraw more than 1,000 military personnel from Niger. This comes after the West African country's ruling military junta decided to revoke a 12-year-old security pact with Washington, essentially telling the US military to pack their bags and hit the road.
The US had hoped that some behind-the-scenes talks could salvage the agreement, but it seems that Niger's junta wasn't in the mood for negotiations. After meetings between top US officials and Niger's prime minister, the US finally admitted defeat and decided to call it quits.
The withdrawal means the closure of an expensive US drone facility, known as Base 201, which cost $110 million to set up.
The base, one of the main US drone facilities in Africa, has been used to fight jihadist groups in the Sahel region.
Since last July's coup that overthrew Niger's democratically elected president, the country's new leaders have been cosying up to Russia, following in the footsteps of neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso. Russian military equipment and advisers have already arrived in the country, and thousands of protesters gathered in the capital, Niamey, to demand the withdrawal of American forces.
The newly arrived Russian personnel are reportedly part of Russia's Africa Corps, a new paramilitary group set up to replace the Wagner Group, whose founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had a falling out with Vladimir Putin and ended up in a fatal plane crash.
Food for Thought
“When the roots of a tree begin to decay, it spreads death to the branches."
— Nigerian Proverb