Science Journalist, Scribbler, Question-asker, Audio-wrangler, Note-taker, Tea-drinker, and (Occasional) Author
Flagship initiatives such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project “have the potential to support our training and production of the next generation of scientists and technologists in Africa”, science and technology minister Naledi Pandor told the opening plenary of South Africa’s inaugural Science Forum. “Scientists need iconic, challenging initiatives that will respond to their … Read more
The outputs of this multi-million rand project are too small to be seen with the naked eye. But nanomaterials – made through the application of nanotechnology – offer South Africa a high-technology niche to bolster our ailing manufacturing sector. Nanotechnology involves manipulating materials on an atomic level, with structures between one and 100 nanometres. For … Read more
Don’t fixate on finding the “superstar” or the perfect organisational fit when hiring a new person. The best thing you can do for your company is not to hire a “toxic worker”. This is according to a new paper out of the Harvard Business School. A toxic employee can cost a business in the region … Read more
Rows of racks hum in an underground bunker, hidden from the scorching sun and the sensitive radio antennas that dot the desert landscape in the Northern Cape. All processing capacity for South Africa’s Square Kilometre Array (SKA) precursor telescope, MeerKAT, has to be buried so that it will not interfere the dishes which will detect … Read more
It looks like a pellet of buck dung, it smells like one too, but the centimetre-long seed is not dung, and is one of the few proven instances of sensory deception for seed dispersal. “The smell is incredible,” says Jeremy Midgley, a professor in biological sciences at the University of Cape Town. “From the smell, … Read more
First published on AfricaCheck. Social media has changed the way that the public engages with science. It has also changed the way in which scientists engage with a broader, non-science audience – something they’re now expected to do. Self-promotion is almost mandatory if a scientist wants to attract interest, grants and funding. In fact, as … Read more
This was first published by AfricaCheck. A cartoon image that went viral on Facebook depicted South Africa as the third best solar location globally. How on earth do you measure and rank that? Researched by Sarah Wild If even dim-witted cartoon character Homer Simpson thinks it’s a bad idea for South Africa to build … Read more
More than one in five children in South Africa are stunted, according to the Global Nutrition Report 2015, and addressing that should be the focus of this government. Childhood stunting refers to the significant impairment of a child’s growth; that child is very short in relation to peers in their population and age groups … Read more
Software developed by University of Pretoria researchers could bring cheaper hearing tests to South Africa’s rural areas. The hearScreen technology, which has been patented and is in the process of being licensed, can turn any smartphone into an audiometer to test people’s hearing. According to the 2011 census, about 4% of South Africa’s 51-million citizens … Read more