Edible insects in South Africa; to regulate or not to regulate?

I’ve never eaten an insect on purpose before, but I am willing to try. The concept of entomophagy, or eating insects may be quite a foriegn curiosity to me, but not so to some South Africans who love the stuff. I recently came across a research paper that essentially called for the regulation of edible…

Dark energy – the next frontier?

by Thabiso Goba Dark energy has dominated the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting with a few playful murmurs of a future Nobel Prize for the next discovery.  About 5% of the universe is made up of known atoms like protons, neutrons, and electrons and the rest of it is an unknown, invisible gas substance that…

Climate grief: when hope (doesn’t) spring eternal

by Wiida Fourie For those of us living in the cities, facing up to the realities of the climate crisis – such as contemplating the mere possibility of a Day Zero – can be challenging at the most. Some describe it as a vague unease about the changes you see in nature. Others talk of…

Video – Mbali Mahleyeye on being a black woman in science

Mbali Mahleyeye recently attended the 25th celebration of the finding of Little Foot fossil at an event held by French ambassador in Pretoria. SciBraai contributor, Sibusiso Biyela sat down with Mahleyeye, who is a remote sensing scientist working at the Department of Water and Sanitation, and asked her what her journey as a young, black,…

The doctor who saved 51 kidney patients

Prof Elmi Muller is a South African pioneer in transplant surgery and attached to the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital. More than a decade ago, she transplanted the first kidney of an HIV-positive donor into another HIV-positive recipient.

A remarkable scientist – and a stellar role model

Astronomer Prof. Renée C. Kraan-Korteweg’s work on the large-scale structure and distance scale of galaxies has made her an internationally-recognised researcher, but it is as leader and educator that this quiet-spoken astronomer has also excelled throughout her career.

Die nierdokter wat 51 lewens gered het

Tien jaar gelede het dr Elmi Muller die eerste nieroorplantings in Suid-Afrika op MIV-positiewe ontvangers gedoen. Sy het sedertdien al 51 sulke oorplantings gedoen.
Ten years ago, Dr Elmi Muller performed the first kidney transplant on HIV positive patients in South Africa. She has since done 51 such operations.

Homo Naledi goes virtual

Thanks to funding received from the Royal Society of South Africa, Scibraai will be publishing a few new science stories in the coming months by local journalists. First up is an insert about Dinaledi VR, the world’s first free mobile palaeoanthropology virtual reality app. It provides virtual access to the underground Dinaledi chamber in the…

Ososayensi bathole isilwane sasemandulo esandisa umlando wohlu lwezilwane

Asikho isilwane esiphilayo emhlabeni owomile esidlula ububanzi bendlovu. Enye yezinto ezenza ukuthi indlovu ikwazi ukukhula ibe isisindo nobubanzi obudlula zonke ezinye izilwane esiqiwini ukwakheka kwemilenze yayo. Imilenze yendlovu inamadolo abheke phambili nasemumva, kodwa ayi emaceleni njengamadolo ezingwenya. Imilenze yendlovu iqondile uma uyibheka ngaphambili kanye nasemumva ukuze ikwazi ukuthwala isisindo sayo. Lolulwazi lwezilwane eziphilayo namuhlanje lutshela…

From CRISPR to mini “brains”: My Kavli Week Diary

I recently attended the Kavli Prize week of activities around the Kavli Prize 2018 ceremony held in Norway in September 2018.  In addition to the many memories I made, I gathered some photos, video, and audio and I will keep updating this page with new content as soon as I finish writing and producing it.…