The African Science Literacy Network is now accepting applications for volunteers to join its management team in 2022.

An extract of a plant’s fruit in Nigeria could protect against seizure and prevent brain degeneration. It could therefore be studied further for the development of a new antiepileptic drug.

Plant-based products (herbal mixtures and concoctions) can be formulated quickly and some get approval from the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control as marketable products. But drug products of microbial origin are uncommon. The last time Nigeria reported a novel antimicrobial compound of microbial origin was in 1986, under a project commissioned by Pfizer. The compound was used to treat coccidiosis in poultry and to promote growth in swine. It was the second such compound from Nigeria, but research stalled in the decades that followed.

Antibiotics, life-saving drugs used to treat some humans and animal disease conditions, persist in the environment after usage. Their unlawful usage in veterinary service for poultries, piggeries, cattle farms, aquacultures and other livestock farms continues to increase, thereby putting strain on reliable drugs to remain effective.

Keywords: Sulfonamide, antibiotic resistance, Oyo State, Osun State; Veterinary; antibiotics.

Food smoking belongs to one of the oldest technologies of food preservation which mankind has used in meat and fish processing. Although it is a common source of protein in most diets, smoking not only gives them unique taste, texture and aroma, it also improves preservation due to its dehydrating and bactericidal properties. However, smoking has serious unintended effects that are potential health hazards. "Smoked foods may be contaminated by cancer-causing components of wood smoke – mainly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other derivatives of PAHs, which break down in human bodies to more toxic and dangerous PAHs," says Dr Temilola Oluseyi, a Senior Lecturer and Group Leader of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Research Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos, Nigeria.

The term ‘epilepsy’ is derived from the Greek word ‘epilambanein’, meaning ‘to seize or attack’. It is a chronic non-communicable neurological disorder that can be inherited or acquired. The belief that epilepsy is a contagious disease or spiritual attack is not scientifically accurate.

The programme was aimed at inspiring and motivating students (especially girls) of Nigerian secondary schools and Universities towards developing genuine interests and taking up career paths in life science and science courses generally.

Even though early progress in neuroscience began in 'ancient' Egypt, Africa’s research capacity in this area has not kept pace with the developments in the field. The above was the assertion of a team of neuroscientists, who recently conducted a long-term analysis of research outputs in the field of neuroscience, in the continent.

The advent of COVID-19 has awakened the culture of using hand sanitizers in Nigeria. As a result, the public domain is saturated with different kinds of hand-hygiene products. These are preparations designed for the purpose of reducing or eliminating germs in the hands, and thus preventing the transmission of agents of infectious diseases through the hands. The two main categories of hand-hygiene products recommended by the World Health Organization are soaps and products containing chemical antimicrobial agents.

Academic Publishing Centre (APC) was built last year by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMinna), in Niger State, North Central Nigeria. The APC was established to address the dearth of indigenously-authored and locally-produced tertiary level textbooks, together with other related academic publications in Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions. It is one way of motivating students to read and to foster sustainability in book development. While it is true that foreign books are helpful, the development of an indigenous book industry is needed to provide opportunities for the nation’s writers, thinkers and artists. However, Ngozi Nnam, a Professor of Community and Public Health Nutrition, said “If you diversify, you will get better information. If you get your information from books published locally, you will be abreast on what is happening in Nigeria, but one should not limit him or herself to only the Nigerian context. Look beyond Nigeria, across Africa and the world. This will make one have a global presentation of what he or she is researching on.”