Science and Technology

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

Director-General of The Presidency, Phindile Baleni named the South Africans to be awarded the Order of Mapungubwe on 28 April 2023.

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.

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

With technology like the metaverse and artificial intelligence taking over our lives, is it about time it meets our policing strategies?

The bursary covers the cost of full-time education and will pay for programme registration and tuition costs, accommodation and more.

Floreat is the second primary school in the country to be equipped with a 4iR stream lab, thanks to Sakhikhamva Foundation.

Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the AI Institute is being established in partnership with institutions of higher learning.

A Stellenbosch University PhD student has received international recognition for creating a groundbreaking water supply digital application.

Anatomy students are set to benefit from virtual reality in classrooms as more and more apps are being developed.

Kutlwano Tshatiwa (17) developed a revolutionary phone application that is taking South Africa’s technology scene by storm.

Scientists have managed to create synthetic embryos without eggs, sperm or fertilisation – but ethical discussions have begun.

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.

‘If we invest in this technology… we can provide our people with decent housing fast and end informality,’ said UJ Vice-Chancellor Tshilidzi Marwala.

The first nanosatellite constellation developed on the continent will be launched into space aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Livestreaming is expected to start after 17:00.

Barbie and toymaker Mattel is recognising real-life female scientists with their new line of Barbie “role model” dolls.

The ACWA Power’s Redstone project, planned for Northern Cape, will be South Africa’s second central tower solar thermal plant.

Scientists conducted a meta-analysis of randomised control trials to ascertain the effectiveness of Ivermectin in treating Covid-19 patients.

“Wu’s efforts not only changed public health in China but that of the entire world”.

The department is calling for investment at a time when South Africa’s expenditure on R&D has declined for the first time in seven years.

Singapore Zoo released the first video of its lion cub Simba who was born in October 2020 after being conceived by artificial insemination.

3D printing is transforming the construction sector and will be deployed in Africa to help build affordable and low-carbon housing and schools.

“Gender equality is not about women and men sharing the same mindsets and behaviour. Rather, it’s about equal opportunities and rights”.

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.

Everyone is a bit worried that artificial intelligence and the inevitable rise of the machine will steal our jobs.

Simple process can tell in less than five minutes if a person has COVID-19. An approved mass-testing device should be out late next year.

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.

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

Here is how the internet captures spam with the ‘Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart’.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Airspeeder co-founder Matt Pearson said 2020 was a significant year for the industry with the company set to host full-scale flying car races in the Australian outback.

We’ve not done all that bad in terms of making waves globally. Check out our list of the most innovative South African inventions.

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

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.

The insight offered by the new study comes from studying maps of Pluto’s shape and features.

The dates for TechCrunch Disrupt SF, the Early Stage SF and the TC Sessions have been confirmed. Here’s what you need to know.

Is this a glimpse into South Africa’s future? The battle against COVID-19 could be won by occasionally lifting lockdown restrictions.

Professor Salim Karim is one of the top medical minds in South Africa – so his recent comments about lockdown have, ironically, come under the microscope.

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

With CES 2020 taking Las Vegas by storm earlier this year, Statista’s crunched the numbers to determine where the tech world convenes every year. Here are the results.

The theme for the Fifth Science Forum South Africa is, ‘Igniting conversations about science for innovation with impact”.

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

Fancy putting a lekker, local twist on your iPhone? Here’s how you can download a South African accent for Siri. And yes, the jokes are already flying.

Scientists aren’t ruling out a second tremor hitting Durban on Thursday, but they have had to dismiss a few claims that simply are no truth to them.

Are we alone in the universe? It comes down to whether intelligence is a probable outcome of natural selection, or an improbable fluke.

Disrupt SF is an authority on game-changing technologies and revolutionary innovation. This year’s event takes place from 2 to 4 October.

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.

Something mysterious happened nearly half a billion years ago that triggered one of the most important changes in the history of life on Earth.

Snap, the company that created the social media app Snapchat, is taking another bite at the smart spectacle cherry.

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

The shift in Africa towards urbanisation means digitalisation should be made an urgent priority to aid growth on the continent, according to Siemens.

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia announced in 2017 his plans to build a new, futuristic city, based upon principles of renewable energy, technology, community, diversity, and modern architecture.

Revisiting the need for robots.

Every day, scientists living and working aboard the International Space Station take in remarkable views of our home planet. Here’s a look at Earth, as seen from 402 km above

The MediaTech Africa Tradeshow showcases hard-to-beat specials, never-before-seen technology, live demos, instructive presentations, new product reveals and the opportunity to test drive new tech.

Blade Nzimande has revealed a new fund to assist adopters of new technologies in South Africa worth at least R1 billion per year.

Research showed that companies have not taken up the use of fourth industrial revolution technologies as quickly as was previously predicted.

We are experiencing a global sleep crisis. Insomnia and sleep disorder rates are rising quickly, partially due to the high stress levels and prevalence of blue-light technology in our modern day to day lives.

Forbes Africa recognised these South Africans as the future in their respective professions.

Following a hugely successful inaugural Women in Tech & Digital Conference in Cape Town, Useful & Beautiful and Women in Tech ZA have announced that the Johannesburg edition will be held on 10 July.

Cars containing electronics are being specifically targeted, leading to suspicions a wifi detector is being used by thieves in South Africa.

Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot will go on sale later this year. Their lifelike robots are both delighful and terrifying.

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

Police officers in South Africa are a step closer to having bodycams installed as part of their fight against crime – but how exactly will it help law enforcement?

The Sims 4 is now free to download on the Origin store, for a limited time only. Here’s what you need to know.

Dr Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ King is the first African scientist to ever win the ‘Nobel Prize for Water’, also known as the Stockholm Water Prize.

The procedure, performed by a team at the University of Pretoria, facilitates an ear transplant with the use of 3D printers and biocompatible titanium.

Google, and all its integrated apps, have made our lives a whole lot simpler. But sometimes, the Play Store has a mind of its own and one particularly irksome problem can drive you around the bend.

A proud moment for the team of students that worked on the project.

The session was led by Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana.

The cause of the launch failure is being investigated so that the fault can be eliminated.

It’s one small step for man, and one giant clean-up operation for our scientists. This rocket may have failed to launch, but the UKZN are still in good spirits…

During his SONA speech on Thursday evening, Cyril Ramaphosa revealed six new subjects are coming to the school curriculum.

A look into South Africa’s earliest metropolis, the ancient city of Kweneng.

The month that drew the shortest end of the stick.

Spiders are quirky little things. They’re also very hairy. If you’ve ever wondered why, we’ve got the answers here.

In Antarctica, the Weddell Sea Expedition has made it to one of the most treacherous stretches of land and ocean on Earth. It looks other-wordly…

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

An in-depth look into the Fourth Industrial Revolution in a South African context.

The art of storytelling came to the fore on Tuesday when journalists from across Africa discussed science journalism in the fourth industrial revolution.

Designer babies have been called the “future-we-should-not-want.”

It’s important to keep studying neutrons to understand both their harmful properties and the ways they can be used for good.

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

The radio Telescope will go by the name HIRAX, which stands for the Hydrogen Intensity and Real Time Analysis eXperiment. It will ultimately investigate the mystery that is ‘dark energy’.

There’s now a dastardly technique that is being used to completely alter WhatsApp messages you send from your phone.

Manglin Pillay brought SAICE into disrepute over his comments about women. Talk about an engineer with a lack of timing…

The project was funded by the Department of Science and Technology, with the aim of “building the world’s largest and fastest additive manufacturing system that can 3D print titanium aircraft parts from powder.”

How about that?

He helped Africa search for its “next Einstein”

Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, his family said Wednesday.

A first-of-its-kind aircraft and the biggest airplane at the moment: The Stratolaunch recently reached a new milestone when it was recorded taxiing down the runway at 46 mph (74 km/h).

After city officials in Las Vegas hosted an unveiling ceremony for its brand new, self-driving shuttle bus, a truck backed up into it.

And Elon wasn’t even there!

Rumour has it, ShowMax and DSTV will be “integrating”. And while sources don’t want to divulge too much… we’re hoping for some sporting magic…

Vodacom promised customers would be reimbursed.

Sick of those pesky Facebook videos auto-playing on your feed? Here’s how to stop them.

Gene-editing scientists. This future really is here.

Are you sitting comfortably? At a conference in California this week, it was announced that Facebook want to introduce technology that will allow you to type using just BRAINWAVES.

Stephen Hawking is looking for a new voice in this hilarious sketch… can you guess who he chose for the job?