SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION - The African Mirror

Aug

07

2025

Do elephants make deliberate gestures to ask for things? Our study says yes

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

ELEPHANTS are known for their intelligence, strong social bonds, and good memories. But do they communicate to show real intention? A new study suggests they do. The research showed that elephants gestured to ask for food when a person was around and that they kept gesturing when they didn’t receive all the food. These are signs that the elephants are trying to communicate with intention. We spoke to lead author Vesta Eleuteri, a PhD candidate, to learn more about what this means and why it matters. Why did you study how elephants use gestures to communicate? Most of the research…

Aug

01

2025

By ABIODUN EGBETOKUN; DAVID ADEYEYE; GLENDA KRUSS; IL-HAAM PETERSEN and MARUF SANNI

Africa’s innovations are overlooked because global measures don’t fit: what needs to change

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

AFRICAN governments and development agencies have embraced science, technology and innovation as levers for development over the past two decades. Science, technology and innovation boost productivity, cut transaction costs, open new business opportunities and promote social inclusion. They also help societies tackle grand challenges such as climate change and persistent poverty. By 2020, at least 25 African countries had a national policy framework for science, technology and innovation. This compares with only about 8 in 2010. Science, technology and innovation measurements are essential because they allow policymakers to see whether investments are yielding results. Without adequate metrics, scarce resources can…

Jul

01

2025

By ROGER MALCOLM HARRIS SMITH

Fossils show colonies of reptiles lived communally 250 million years ago: new South African study

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

A fossilised colony of small burrowing reptiles that lived some 250 million years ago was recently found in South Africa. It’s the first time that the Procolophon trigoniceps, which lived in the lowlands of what was then the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana (today the central Karoo), has been found to have lived and died communally in complex, underground burrows. Up till now, they have only been found as single specimens. With a short neck, long body and long tail, the Procolophon trigoniceps was about half a metre long, roughly the same size as a juvenile monitor lizard. It had a…

Jun

25

2025

By VICTOR COUNTED

Which African countries are flourishing? Scientists have a new way of measuring well-being

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

WHAT does it mean to live a good life? Psychologists and social scientists have been focusing on a new idea called flourishing – a sense of well-being that goes beyond just happiness or success. It’s about your whole life being good, including how you interact with other people and your community. So then, how do Africans fare when it comes to flourishing? Victor Counted is a psychological scientist whose research across 40 African countries offers a data-rich rethinking of flourishing on the continent. His findings challenge the dominant narrative that Africa is “lagging behind” in development by showing a more…

Jun

19

2025

By VIANNEY NGOYI KITENGE

Fruit peels could help power your smartphone’s camera flash – here’s how

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

IMAGINE turning fruit waste into technology that stores electricity. This would reduce food waste and promote clean energy storage. Postdoctoral researcher Vianney Ngoyi Kitenge transformed mangosteen peels into specialised carbon materials that he used to make supercapacitor energy storage cells. He came up with a simplified way to do this, hugely reducing the cost. This breakthrough converts agricultural waste into valuable components for energy storage technology. He sets out how it works and what’s needed to make it happen. What is a supercapacitor? Supercapacitors are a type of energy storage cell, similar to a battery, but with some key differences.…

May

19

2025

By HABIB NOORBHAI

AI-driven motion capture is transforming sports and exercise science

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

IN sport, the margin between success and failure is often measured in milliseconds. It could be a cricketer adjusting their foot positioning, a runner refining their sprint start or a footballer perfecting their passing. This is where motion capture comes in – among the many approaches being used for athletic performance and movement analysis. Conventional motion capture tracks a person’s movements by using sensors or reflective markers linked to cameras. This provides data that helps sports scientists analyse how to improve an athlete’s performance, personalise their training programme and prevent possible injury. But for decades, motion capture in sport has…

May

16

2025

By ANDREW FORBES and PATIENCE MTHUNZI-KUFA

Light is the science of the future – the Africans using it to solve local challenges

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

LIGHT is all around us, essential for one of our primary senses (sight) as well as life on Earth itself. It underpins many technologies that affect our daily lives, including energy harvesting with solar cells, light-emitting-diode (LED) displays and telecommunications through fibre optic networks. The smartphone is a great example of the power of light. Inside the box, its electronic functionality works because of quantum mechanics. The front screen is an entirely photonic device: liquid crystals controlling light. The back, too, has white light-emitting diodes for a flash, and lenses to capture images. We use the word photonics, and sometimes…

Apr

05

2025

By GASTON ADOYO

How do coconuts get their water?

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

COCONUT trees are iconic plants found across the world’s tropical regions. They’re called “nature’s supermarket” or the “tree of life” in several cultures because every part of the coconut tree is used. Its leaves can be used to thatch homes, its heart can be eaten and its roots have medicinal uses. The refreshing liquid found within a young green coconut is a highly prized component of the coconut palm. Coconuts are unique in the world of fruits because they have a large internal cavity filled with water. Other fruits typically store water within individual cells or pulp. I’m a food…

Mar

29

2025

By CHARLES HELM and CLIVE THOMPSON

First fossil hyena tracks found in South Africa – how expert animal trackers helped

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

“THE art of tracking may well be the origin of science.” This is the departure point for a 2013 book by Louis Liebenberg, co-founder of an organisation devoted to environmental monitoring. The connection between tracking in nature, as people have done since prehistory, and “Western” science is of special interest to us as ichnologists. (Ichnology is the study of tracks and traces.) We learned our skills relatively late in life. But imagine if we had learned as children and if, as adults, we tracked as if our lives depended on it? What additional visual and cognitive talents would we bring…

Mar

27

2025

By MARINA JOUBERT; LARS GUENTHER and SIMONE RÖDDER

New survey explores what people in South Africa expect of publicly visible scientists – why it matters

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

WHETHER it’s an astronomical discovery, news of a previously undiscovered disease or a major report about climate change, science is often making headlines. This means that it’s perhaps more important than ever for scientists to visibly engage with society. By becoming recognisable figures in the media, scientists can share new ideas and influence science policy. They can also shape public opinion, and build public trust in science, offering hope in times of crisis. They’re important players in the fight against misinformation, pseudoscience and anti-science sentiments. Some scientists have become publicly visible, regularly appearing in the media. Some have become media…