A new slot on the Scibraai menu is indeed the Scibraai Monday Menu, in which we introduce you to a few new research papers or studies recently published by South African scientists. These will range from major findings to simply interesting “nice to knows” or even quite bizarre topics – it all depends on what tickles our fancy each week! This week’s Scibraai menu features tattoos, platannas, the Kruger National Park and the KAT-7 telescope.
So off we go!
Making a plan with platannas
Stellenbosch University and SANPARKS researchers report on a five year control programme of the African clawed frog that has been the saving grace of a population of Cape platanna.
Reference: De Villiers, F. A. Controlling the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis to conserve the Cape platanna Xenopus gilli in South Africa, Conservation Evidence
KAT-7 zooms in on the Virgo Cluster
Amidou Sorgho of the University of Cape Town used the capabilities of the KAT-7 telescope in the Karoo to have a much closer look of the galaxies of the Virgo Cluster.
Reference: Sorgho, A. (2015) Observing galaxies in the Southern Filament of the Virgo Cluster with KAT-7 and WSRT
Foot and mouth disease in the Kruger Park
Since 2000, the efficacy of foot and mouth disease control at the interface between cattle and buffaloes at the edge of the Kruger National Park has deteriorated and needs urgent improvement. University of Pretoria experts have a few suggestions on how this can be done.
Reference: Jori, F. & Etter, E. (2016). Transmission of foot and mouth disease at the wildlife/livestock interface of the Kruger National Park, South Africa: can the risk be mitigated?
About tattoo ink and hair dyes
Ever wondered what is in hair dyes and tattoo inks? A study led by Chukwujindu M.A. Iwegbue of the University of KwaZulu-Natal sheds some light on the metals you will find in these products in Nigeria.
Reference: Chukwujindu M.A.I. et al (2016). Safety Evaluation of Metal Exposure From Commonly Used Hair Dyes and Tattoo Inks in Nigeria, Journal of Environmental Health