SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION - The African Mirror

Jan

2023

Technology and sustainable development: a hamlet in rural South Africa shows how one can power the other

IT'S hard to imagine that the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the fourth industrial revolution can be part of the same conversation. But, as a briefing paper by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) points out: Over 70% of the 136 SDG targets could be enabled by technology applications already in deployment. To be achieved, both ideas – sustainable development and the fourth industrial revolution – require innovative thinking and a change of attitude. Authors SAURABH SINHA, Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation, University of Johannesburg MDUDUZI MBIZA, Research Associate, University of Johannesburg The fourth industrial…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Construction of Africa’s largest science experiment, world’s largest telescope, underway in South Africa

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

CONSTRUCTION of the world’s largest telescopes has officially begun in South Africa and Australia, with 2028 as the completion date. The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project will see an area of about 33 000 square meters share data from space that the gigantic complex telescopes will collect. Over 130,000 antennas and 200 satellite dishes will make up the SKA, according to the project's website. The networked telescopes will enable astronomers to study space better and faster and to detect signals from objects in the universe's farthest reaches. According to the project’s scientists, the SKA-Mid in South Africa will operate with…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Rock stars: how a group of scientists in South Africa rescued a rare 500kg chunk of human history

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

SCIENTIFIC breakthroughs can happen in the strangest ways and places. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin because of mould growing on a Petri dish left out while he was on holiday. Chinese monks in the 9th century wanted to make a potion for immortality: instead, they discovered gunpowder. Our own remarkable discovery happened on a rugged, remote stretch of coastline east of Still Bay on South Africa’s Cape south coast. It was low tide, and three members of our ichnology team (people who study tracks and traces) were in search of newly exposed Pleistocene vertebrate track sites in aeolianites (cemented dunes). Authors…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Mozambique had no data about snakebites. Our new study filled the gap – and the results are scary

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

EVERY year between 20,000 and 32,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa die after being bitten by snakes. That’s more than five times the number of deaths caused by hippos, crocodiles, elephants, lions and buffalo combined. At least, that’s what the available data suggests. But, the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges, that statistics – as well as figures related to non-fatal injury and disability caused by snakebites – are incomplete. Not all snakebite victims are treated in hospitals, especially in poorer countries and communities. Some may be treated by traditional doctors. Others may die before receiving any treatment. Author HARITH OMAR MORGADINHO…

Oct

2022

By SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Electrifying Africa’s fossil-powered cars

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

WHILE the price tag on EVs puts them way out of reach of many around the globe, some startups in Africa are now up-cycling regular ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles to clean transmission, using conversion kits. Others are jumping right in and building battery-powered vehicles from scratch. Electric mass-transit company Roam announced the launch of Roam Rapid on October 19, the first electric mass transit bus in Kenya. In a statement, the Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, versioned buses are “designed to address the unique challenges of public transport in Nairobi and Africa.” The 90-passenger capacity buses will have special seats…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Africans make up a tiny portion of genomics data: why there’s an urgent need for change

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

A group of Nigerian scientists, in conjunction with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, established the Noncommunicable Diseases Genetic Heritage Study consortium in February 2020. The aim is to produce a comprehensive catalogue of human genetic variation in Nigeria and assess the burden of noncommunicable diseases in 100,000 adults in the country. The Conversation Africa asked genetic epidemiologist Segun Fatumo, one of the leaders of the consortium, to explain what they are doing and why. Author SEGUN FATUMO, Associate Professor of Genetic epidemiology & Bioinformatics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine How does Africa feature in global…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

Using AI in agriculture could boost global food security – but we need to anticipate the risks

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

AS the global population has expanded over time, agricultural modernisation has been humanity’s prevailing approach to staving off famine. A variety of mechanical and chemical innovations delivered during the 1950s and 1960s represented the third agricultural revolution. The adoption of pesticides, fertilisers and high-yield crop breeds, among other measures, transformed agriculture and ensured a secure food supply for many millions of people over several decades. Author ASAF TZACHOR, Research Affiliate, Centre for the Study of Existential Risks, University of Cambridge Concurrently, modern agriculture has emerged as a culprit of global warming, responsible for one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, namely carbon…

Apr

2022

By The African Mirror

Africa connects: High demand for internet services spurs investment in undersea cables

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY GROWING demand for internet services is spurring large-scale construction of both surface and undersea cables in Africa as technology companies pump in more investments funds to replace old lines and put up new ones. A new ultra-high capacity submarine fibre optic cable that landed in Kenya’s coastal city, Mombasa on Tuesday (March 29) is among the latest additions to the continent's internet cable capacity. The Hong Kong-based PEACE (Pakistan and East Africa Connecting Europe) cable is a multi-million US dollar investment expected to offer a more stable connection between Africa, Europe and Asia. This is…

May

2020

By The African Mirror

Why Africa must invest more in science research

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

IN ORDER to achieve an African of their dreams, countries of the continent need to invest more in and prioritise research and development in science, according to a leading think tank Women in Science without Borders (WISWB). In a special report, WISWB was critical of the contribution that the 54 countries make towards the global investment in research and development. WISWB noted that the continent contributed a lowly 1.3% of the global investment in research and development. The think tank has called for the African Union (AU) to work towards the establishment of a central portal of data, which would…

May

2020

By The African Mirror

Senamile Masango: a scientist on a mission

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

OWN CORRESPONDENT ON APRIL 26, 2002 Senamile Masango’s heart broke into a million pieces. As South Africa and the rest of Africa celebrated the historic achievement of Mark Shuttleworth as the first African in space, Masango was more than sad. She had fallen in love with science at high school and her dream was to become an astronaut as well as to make history by becoming the first African to land in space. Masango’s journey to science excellence began at Mlokothwa High School, in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, when her high school geography teacher introduced her to astronauts. Today, the…