SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION - The African Mirror

Jun

13

2026

Forced labour in West African cybercrime academies: how fear traps young men

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

FORCED labour in cybercrime might call to mind scam compounds in south-east Asia. A growing body of scholarship, journalism and policy attention has entrenched that stereotype. Images of fortified compounds, armed guards and confiscated passports are shaping how courts worldwide interpret cybercriminal participation. But new research challenges that template. There are different kinds of coercion. Physical coercion is visible: locked doors, armed guards, confiscated documents. Spiritual or psychological coercion is invisible: the fear of consequences no one can see, but many believe. One restrains the body. The other restrains the mind. The outcome is the same. I have studied the…

May

14

2026

By MICHELE RAMSAY and ANANYO CHOUDHURY

Africa has the world’s greatest genetic diversity, yet it’s missing from research: we’re filling the gap

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

THROUGHOUT history, most of the world’s genomic research has relied on DNA data from people of European ancestry. A genome is the full DNA code of about three billion (a thousand million) bases, including all the chromosomes. Each person has two genomes: one from their mother and the other from their father. Well-resourced environments favour European-based research, generating hundreds of thousands of whole human genomes with associated health data. Yet modern humans, our species, evolved on the African continent. African populations, therefore, contain the deepest branches of human genetic history and the greatest genetic diversity on the planet. Yet the…

Apr

02

2026

By KONSTANTINOS KOLOKYTHAS

South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope is mapping previously invisible spaces between galaxies – and it’s found 60 new cosmic structures

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

ASTRONOMERS are uncovering previously hidden structures within some of the universe’s largest objects, known as galaxy clusters. Using the powerful MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, researchers have mapped faint, diffuse radio emissions, an imprint that reveals energy processes taking place in the vast spaces between galaxies when galaxy clusters collide or merge. Konstantinos Kolokythas, a radio astronomer and postdoctoral research fellow at Rhodes University and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), has led research into what these radio emissions reveal about our cosmic history. His findings provide a glimpse of what powerful instruments like MeerKAT and the upcoming…

Mar

04

2026

By MOHIB ABDERRAHIM

Morocco: ancient fossils shed light on a key period in human evolution

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

COULD a Moroccan cave hold a crucial piece of the puzzle of human origins? Hominin fossils dating back 773,000 years discovered in the country are bringing new evidence to the debate about the last common ancestor of present-day humans (Homo sapiens), Neanderthals and Denisovans. The discovery points to a long evolutionary history in North Africa, much earlier than modern Homo sapiens. It also supports Africa’s central role in the major stages that shaped the human species. Abderrahim Mohib is a prehistoric archaeologist, heritage curator, and associate professor and researcher at the National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage in Rabat.…

Jan

08

2026

By DUNCAN MITCHELL

A Namib desert beetle runs to stay cool: how scientists solved the puzzle of this unique and speedy species

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

THE Namib Desert of south-western Africa can be extremely hot – the surface temperature can be over 50°C. But a surprising number of around 200 beetle species live on its bare, inhospitable-looking sand dunes. Scientists studying them were perplexed by the astonishing behaviour of one of the beetle species – a darkling beetle, Onymacris plana. Like most desert darkling beetles, it is black – a colour that absorbs heat. And it has a flattened body, a big surface area exposed to heat. Scientists didn’t expect to find it active on the sand surface in the dangerous heat of the day.…

Nov

12

2025

By VANESSA MCBRIDE

South Africa’s flagship telescope at 20: an eye on the sky and on the community

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

THE Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) celebrates 20 years of observing the sky. SALT is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. It’s been steadily revealing new scientific knowledge, ranging from the discovery of planets outside our solar system to understanding the unusual physics around black holes. It’s also 20 years of doing science for society. SALT is where I conducted much of my PhD research. I’d grown up in rural Eastern Cape, marvelling at the diamond night skies. My first fascination for astronomy was sparked when learning about the concept of SALT at a science fest in high…

Nov

07

2025

By JACQUES MATTHEE and GREY STOPFORTH

AI in the courtroom: the dangers of using ChatGTP in legal practice in South Africa

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

A South African court case made headlines for all the wrong reasons in January 2025. The legal team in Mavundla v MEC: Department of Co-Operative Government and Traditional Affairs KwaZulu-Natal and Others had relied on case law that simply didn’t exist. It had been generated by ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by OpenAI. Only two of the nine case authorities the legal team submitted to the High Court were genuine. The rest were AI-fabricated “hallucinations”. The court called this conduct “irresponsible and unprofessional” and referred the matter to the Legal Practice Council, the statutory body that regulates…

Oct

22

2025

By ISLA C. DUPORGE

The great wildebeest migration, seen from space: satellites and AI are helping count Africa’s wildlife

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

THE Great Wildebeest Migration is one of the most remarkable natural spectacles on Earth. Each year, immense herds of wildebeest, joined by zebras and gazelles, travel 800-1,000km between Tanzania and Kenya in search of fresh grazing after the rains. This vast, circular journey is the engine of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. The migration feeds predators such as lions and crocodiles, fertilises the land and sustains the grasslands. Countless other species, and human livelihoods tied to rangelands and tourism, depend on it. Because this migration underpins the entire ecosystem, it’s vital to know how many animals are involved. A change in numbers…

Oct

09

2025

By CHARLES HELM and LYNNE QUICK

World’s first known butt-drag fossil trace was left by a rock hyrax in South Africa 126,000 years ago

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

ROCK hyraxes, known in southern Africa more often as “dassies”, are furry, thickset creatures with short legs and no discernible tails. They spend much of their time sunning themselves on rocky outcrops. Another thing they sometimes do is drag their butts along the ground. Dog owners know that this behaviour can be a sign of parasitic infections; in hyraxes, the reason seems to be less clear, but this action leaves distinctive traces in sandy areas. Traces and tracks – ancient, fossilised ones – are what we study at the African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience through the Cape south coast ichnology…

Sep

23

2025

By NOMALANGA MASHININI

Deepfakes and South African law: remedies on paper, gaps in practice

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

DEEPFAKES are forgeries of people’s faces, voices and likeness generated through artificial intelligence (AI). They create a serious digital deception. Deepfakes undermine constitutional rights, reduce trust in media and distort fairness in elections. While many countries have laws that address the risks caused by deepfakes, enforcement remains a challenge. Deepfakes began to be widely created in 2017 after they’d first appeared on Reddit, a discussion website of forums where people exchange information. A Reddit user called Deepfakes shared an AI software tool that could superimpose celebrities’ faces on pornographic videos. AI-generated media became widely accessible through software apps that enable…