Solar energy is one of the greener energy solutions that the NWU believes will save costs and reduce the negative impact of load-shedding.

Infectious diseases are a persistent threat to public health in African countries, causing millions of deaths each year.

Scientists used to interpret this apparent mismatch in blood flow and energy demand as evidence that there is no shortage of blood supply.

A mathematical model played a vital role in the struggle for access to HIV medicines in the 2000s, showed that it would save of lives.

There are eight of these planets. One of them is: Earth. The others are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Experts warns on the shortage of South African-produced polyvalent snake antivenom. Waiting orders takes six months.

A new study conducted by Stellenbosch University has found interesting facts about the consumption of zebra meat

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Scientists expanded the International System of Units (SI) for the first time this century. In future, we could see a quettabyte storage device.

A study measured how much heat 53 birds species in southern Africa could stand, it found that species vary greatly in this way.

The large tortoise are still associated with the Galápagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador, as well as Aldabra Island in the Seychelles.

NASA is studying planet 55 Cancri e which is so close to its star that its clouds rain lava and its atmosphere may vaporize daily.

The future is here… and it’s weird. A new ‘robot dog’ has been unveiled by the University of Johannesburg, sparking a mixed reaction from the public.

After stepping away from COVID duties with the South African government, Professor Salim Abdool Karim has now got the call from the WHO.

If last year was all about a virus, it seems 2021 is planning a ‘time travel’ story arc for us. Here’s what you need to know about a ‘negative leap second’.

NASA ruled out the possibility of the Apophis asteroid hitting earth in 2068 on Friday. It passed the planet earlier this month.

A new altitude record was set during a rocket launch in Overberg this week, and one South African minister has hailed the event as a ‘game-changer’.

The Women in Science programme was launched in 2010 to encourage the participation of young African women in science.

This is the first review of its kind that gives an African perspective of the challenges that women in these fields face. They are by no means unique to Africa.

Africa represents the youngest and fastest growing population in the world. This makes intellectual investment an imperative, to harness talent that is a significant and growing share of the global population.

The new technology will ultimately help to track and protect Africa’s declining lion population, say scientists from Oxford University.

Researchers want to study every square inch of planet Earth. The problem is that some areas are challenging for humans to get to in order to monitor.

Seeing AI is an accessibility app that describes the world as seen through a smartphone camera.

Africa’s leading research, development and innovation organisation, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has reached a major milestone, marking 75 years of its existence

Artificial intelligence seems to be making enormous advances. It has become the key technology behind self-driving cars, automatic translation systems, speech and textual analysis, image processing and all kinds of diagnosis and recognition systems.

Elon Musk has more ambitious goals, hoping to read and write thoughts and memories, enable telepathic communication and ultimately merge human and artificial intelligence (AI).

Human footprints in what would have been an ancient lake in Saudi Arabia indicate humans were migrating from Africa through Arabian interior.

Earth has changed dramatically since its early days. Use this map to see what your hometown looked like millions of years ago.

Neuralink is prepared to show a working second version of the chip it first introduced back in 2019. If all goes according to plan, Musk intends to “show neurons firing in real-time”.

Music has been part and parcel of humanity for a long time. Not every sound is musical, but sound has meaning and sometimes the meaning of sound is specific to its context.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink will be hosting a live webcast on Friday 28 August 2020 ‘to demonstrate a brain-machine interface’ which will help humans keep up with AI.

This research to do with ears could be helpful in the development of new hearing aids.

Very few academics or policymakers are talking about the impact of climate change on heritage. Yet heritage is essential for social wellbeing, for identity creation, for safeguarding traditional knowledge and livelihoods and for sustainable development.

People have searched for sex differences in human brains since at least the 19th century when scientist Samuel George Morton poured seeds and lead shot into human skulls to measure their volumes.

The Carnegie Mellon University is working with Facebook’s AI Research division to teach how robots new ways to navigate by applying “common sense”.

A person’s pupils can show if they have suffered a traumatic experience in the past, according to new research.

The coelacanth, the world’s oldest living fossil, outlives the dinosaurs and thrives in the waters of South Africa’s Sodwana Bay.

Two staff members from the University of the Free State (UFS) were nominated for the Science Oscars for their outstanding work and contributions to science over the years.

Ministers of education, science and technology from several African countries have met to prepare a response to COVID-19 in terms of interventions in education, science and technology.

A circle of mysterious but mathematically precise underground shafts built around 4,500 years ago indicates surprising technological ability.

Since that initial discovery, palaeontologists from far and wide have descended on the area led by Professor Jonah Choinière of the Evolutionary Studies Institute at Wits University.

NASA has picked Kathy Lueders to lead its Human Exploration and Operations Mission to get astronauts back to the Moon and then to Mars.

A nightmare straight out of Peter Benchley’s ‘Beast’! Here’s what you need to know the discovery of the giant squid.

NASA’s new tool AI4Mars will help the team of engineers driving the Mars Curiosity Rover to navigate the Red Planet.

American astronomy professor David Kipping calculates that the chance of Earth developing intelligent life is rare.

The explosive growth and success of human society over the past 10 000 years has been underpinned by a distinct range of climate conditions.

Every so often, a pandemic emerges that dramatically alters human society. The Black Death (1347 – 1351) was one; the Spanish flu of 1918 was another. Now there’s COVID-19.

A world-renowned artist recently questioned whether smoking provides immunity against COVID-19. No one knows for certain.

According to a new report released by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) earlier this week, we could be battling the COVID-19 pandemic for another two years.

Research continues into one of space’s most mysterious objects. Gigantic black hole explosion is among the latest findings.

Living architecture is moving from the realm of science fiction into the lab as researchers turn living cells into microscopic factories.

Based on new projections for economic growth, experts suggest the impact of the coronavirus might significantly curb global emissions and change the way we tackle climate concerns.

As the coronavirus rages across the planet, the last thing we need to hear about is another deadly disease. But there’s no need to panic over Hantavirus.

If you’re looking to pass the time during the coronavirus outbreak, there are some necessary precautions you must take during sex.

If you’re wondering what the science behind social distancing is, we’ve got it here. But there are many things we should stop doing to combat coronavirus.

James B. Kaler, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Capricorn, explains the zodiac.

A remarkable combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and biology has produced the world’s first “living robots”.

The star Proxima Centauri is the smallest star in a triple system in the constellation of Centaurus. Since it is the star in closest proximity to our sun, it is usually referred to as Proxima.

A group of researchers found signs of life in isolated water pockets in rock fractures under the Moab Khotsong mine. The water is estimated to be 2 billion years old.

The universe has many mysteries that still remain to be uncovered – and new technologies will help us to solve them over the next 50 years.

For more than 3.5 billion years, living organisms have thrived, multiplied and diversified to occupy every ecosystem on Earth. The flip side to this explosion of new species is that species extinctions have also always been part of the evolutionary life cycle.

Emperor Penguins are living indicators whose population trends can illustrate the consequences of climate change.

The new strain has been classified as HIV-1 Group M, subtype L, and can be traced back to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Robots used to be restricted to heavy lifting or fine detail work in factories, but that is changing.

Where was the evolutionary birthplace of modern humans? The East African Great Rift Valley has long been the favoured contender – until today.

As the old aphorism has it, only two things are certain in life: death, and taxes. But while death may be inevitable, it does throw up a number of uncertainties – like what should be done with your body.

The Western Cape is entering the summer season – its driest, given that rains fall in the winter. Fears have been mounting that this year’s fire season might be the worst on record.

The event will be held on 12 October 2019.

The surgeon is responsible for controlling the robotic-arm.

Cloud computing – the delivery of sophisticated information technology capabilities over the internet – could play a crucial role in both innovation and efficiency in Africa.

Southern Africa boasts an extensive record of palaeo-art, and South Africa’s Cape south coast, stretching eastward along the coast from Cape Town, contains one of the richest Middle Stone Age archaeological records in the world.

The device is able to jump from the sea into the air like a flying fish using a water-reactive fuel.

Artificial intelligence is making sequencing faster, cheaper and more accurate while machine learning algorithms that improve with experience are accelerating our ability to compare large, complex DNA sequencing data sets and interpreting its meaning.

It is important, from both an ecological and socio-economic stance, to develop low-cost housing solutions that are inherently comfortable and environmentally sustainable.

The turtle tracks were spotted by author Jan De Vynck and his colleagues on a large rock surface in 2016.

Scientists have long been concerned about the potential collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to global sea level rise. Much of West Antarctica’s ice lies below sea level, and warming ocean temperatures may lead to runaway ice sheet retreat.

The aim of Kimberley E.J. Chapelle’s research has been twofold: better understanding and describing the anatomy of Massospondylus, as well as understanding how it grew as it aged.

The potential of the quantum computer programme far exceeds traditional computing power and will be used in a wide variety of research fields.

The secret weapon in fighting deadly diseases could be just off South African shores. The team from UWC believe this sponge could help develop a cure for cancer.

Scientists have made a new discovery that might make it a bit more complicated to trace life on Mars. But it does sound pretty cool – material from outer space most likely played a role in building earth.

Construction of Stellenbosch University’s new Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI) commenced this week and should be completed by 2022.

2018 was an exciting year: from cloning monkeys to treating muscular dystrophy.

We have some pretty bright people in South Africa who are changing the world through bold and daring innovations.

Civil engineering student Suzanne Lambert is spearheading innovative ways of waste recovery with the world’s first urine-based bio-brick.