Super El Niño may push an already stressed climate ecosystem across a critical threshold, climate change researcher says
Forecasters are warning that the ongoing El Niño is likely to become supercharged in the coming months and inject potentially unprecedented heat into our already warming world. El Niño is the warm phase of a multiyear natural climate pattern, but models suggest this year’s cycle will be exceptionally intense. Super El Niño conditions could contribute to temperature extremes […]
Celebrating National Science Month
National Science Month, an expansion of National Science Week, gives individuals and institutions a focused opportunity to interest South Africans in science, technology and innovation and show how they affect our lives. We are calling everyone – science councils, industry, universities, schools, TVET colleges, and government departments from across the country – to join us […]
School in a hot world: what research is saying about children’s health and learning
Climate change is making southern Africa hotter. While much attention has focused on climate impacts like droughts, floods and food insecurity, another crisis is unfolding quietly inside classrooms. Research has shown that some schools are becoming dangerously hot places for children to develop, learn and play. Read more
How South African scientists identified hantavirus on a cruise ship thousands of miles away
When South African infectious disease specialist Lucille Blumberg checked her email on the morning of May 1, while the country was celebrating the Labor Day holiday, an urgent message caught her attention. A U.K.-based colleague had written about a passenger from a cruise ship sailing thousands of miles away in the Atlantic Ocean who had […]
Microplastics absorb heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming — as if they weren’t bad enough
Microplastics are absorbing heat in the atmosphere and contributing to global warming, a new study reveals. Microplastics are infamous for being everywhere, contaminating ecosystems and accumulating inside our bodies. Scientists have known for a while that plastics are also blown high into the atmosphere, where they are now pervasive, but it was unclear what impact they might be having up […]
Children can spend hours on TikTok but struggle to read a book: Why schools must rebuild attention
There is growing frustration in South African classrooms. Around 80% of Grade 4 pupils cannot read for meaning, even when they can recognise words. Many children no longer sustain reading in the way previous generations did. Ask them to work through a long passage and focus often fades within minutes. Yet these same children can spend hours […]
Unlock your future with STEM: Sasol 2027 bursary applications open
Sasol has opened applications for its Bursary Programme for the 2027 academic year. The programme, which funds full-time undergraduate studies in engineering and science, is one of the key ways that Sasol invests in South Africa’s youth and economy. The proudly South African chemicals and energy company is one of the country’s leading STEM employers, […]
Scientists identify main cause of extreme nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
A key gene tied to hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of vomiting in pregnancy, is also linked to a heightened risk of type 2 diabetes, scientists report. An extreme form of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is linked to 10 genes, one of which is likely the main culprit behind the condition, according to the […]
South African professor building the fastest Internet in the world using quantum technology
A professor (PhD) at the University of the Witwatersrand’s physics department, Forbes describes a future where lasers transmit data at “thousands or millions of times the speed we have today.” Read more
Does the moon look the same from everywhere on Earth?
The moon’s orientation changes quite dramatically across time and between places, largely due to differences in perspective. Whether you’re watching a spectacular lunar eclipse or studying lunar features through a telescope, there are plenty of reasons to gaze at the moon. But does the moon look the same from everywhere on Earth?The short answer is no, astronomers told […]