Rugby in die ruimte
Rugby? In die ruimte? Hoe het dit gebeur dat die Springbokke se wedstryd teen Italië die eerste Wêreldbekerwedstryd ooit sou wees wat in die ruimte uitgesaai word?
Maths, computer science students at HLF meet their heroes
University of KwaZulu-Natal maths doctoral student Chinedu Izuchukwu is pretty clear about one of the highlights of attending the weeklong 7th Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany: it is meeting the man behind a software programme that has made his academic life so much easier. The brain in question belongs American Prof Leslie Lamport, winner 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,…
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.
Talking science communication in Cape Town
Scientists and communicators from across the world and the across the scientific spectrum came together on the 28th of August when ScienceLink hosted their second SciCommunity event, at which scientists in Cape Town could meet, network and discuss science communication with the writer, public speaker and international science communicator, Alaina Levine.There are currently very few…
David Glasser: working towards economic benefits
On 29 September 1936, David Glasser was born in Alexandria in the Eastern Cape. A strong scholar, he was placed in St Andrews School in Bloemfontein for his primary education, going on to complete his secondary schooling at Grey High School in Port Elizabeth. Matriculating first class in 1954, Glasser was placed fifth in the…
Bernie Fanaroff brought SA the world’s largest telescope
Dr Bernie Fanaroff did his PhD because of his interest in physics – and in the process developed a way to classify very distant radio sources that is still being used today. Since then, much of his efforts have gone into South Africa – among others as a union movement leader, as a civil servant…
A sports car and a glitter ball are now in space – what does that say about us as humans?
In this article from The Conversation, Alice Gorman of Flinders University weighs in on the symbolism behind South African-born Elon Musk’s red sports car being part of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch – and other items in space. Two controversial objects have recently been launched in space, and their messages couldn’t be more different. One is Elon…
Water-dwelling organisms show new ways to harvest light for solar tech
What can single-celled diatoms living in water teach us about harvesting light? Alot, says Prof Tjaart Kruger of the University of Pretoria, in this article from The Conversation Africa. Photosynthesis is a great source of inspiration for solar technology. By studying the minutiae of how plants convert light into useful forms of energy, scientists can better mimic…