Vaal Science and Technology News
"Emergency" Warning For AntarcticaDate: 04/12/2024
“Runaway ice loss causing rapid and catastrophic sea-level rise is possible within our lifetimes," the statement warns ...
Fossil finds: a glimpse into our ancestors’ livesDate: 19/11/2024
Mention the word “fossils” to people and most will probably think of bones. Of course, body fossils make up a large part of th ...
Avian architects: weaver birds in Africa have unique building stylesDate: 30/10/2024
From afar, the acacia trees look like they have been decorated with grass pom-poms. The birds have been busy, building shelter ...
Ancient human DNA from South Africa sheds light on historyDate: 03/10/2024
Oakhurst rock shelter is an archaeological site near the town of George on the southern coast of South Africa. It is set into ...
Meteorite strike in South Africa: scientists offer cluesDate: 11/09/2024
On a Sunday morning in late August 2024 a nine-year-old girl named Eli-zé du Toit was sitting on her grandparents’ porch near ...
African archaeology has neglected Namibia’s desertsDate: 31/07/2024
Desert regions in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula have been well studied by archaeologists as the home of early huma ...
How solar storms impact the global power gridDate: 24/03/2022
On September 1 and 2, 1859, telegraph systems around the world failed catastrophically. The operators of the telegraphs report ...
Scientists urge Pluto be reinstated as planetDate: 13/12/2021
The current definition of a “planet” is rooted in folklore and astrology and must be dropped due to not meeting the needs of m ...
Tiny-alien invasion risk: More space biosecurity measures needed?Date: 01/12/2021
The threat of an alien invasion is generally thought of in terms of little green men, laser blasters, and towering motherships ...
NASA’s first planetary defense mission will nudge an asteroidDate: 19/11/2021
Bits of heavenly debris rain down continuously into Earth’s atmosphere, with the vast majority being so tiny they burn up. Fra ...
Cows and cars should not be conflated in climate change debatesDate: 12/11/2021
With world leaders gathered for the COP26 summit in Glasgow, there is much talk of methane emissions and belching cows. The Gl ...
Cradle of Humankind yields another major discovery in evolution of mankindDate: 05/11/2021
The partial skull of a Homo Naledi child, nicknamed 'Letti', was discovered at the Rising Star cave, the site of other major disco
‘Horrifying’: Eskom fears for Koeberg, as skilled workers ditch nuclear plantDate: 28/10/2021
The future of Eskom’s Koeberg facility remains uncertain, as the nuclear plant continues to battle with extended outages and o ...
Oldest livestock genome reveals origin of today’s goatsDate: 08/06/2021
Ancient hunters and farmers living in the foothills and valleys of western Iran’s verdant highlands may have been among the fi ...
What is a Supermoon?Date: 26/04/2021
There are two supermoons in 2021—and the next one is in April 26. What is a supermoon? We agree that it’s a catchy word and an ...
Govt has a new plan to boost SA's dagga industryDate: 13/04/2021
Government recently released a draft national master plan to commercialise South Africa's cannabis industry, which include bot ...
Rock art rocks: Experts are still trying to fathom ancient engravings found near the Vredefort craterDate: 01/04/2021
Why did early hunter-gatherers choose an unusual formation of rocks as the place where they would spend time chiselling out I' ...
New sights and sounds from the Perseverance rover on Mars!Date: 23/02/2021
Check out this amazing new video from NASA’s Perseverance rover, showing its own descent and landing on the surface of Mars la ...
The 1st sign of intelligent life beyond Earth?Date: 09/02/2021
Physicist Avi Loeb of Harvard believes we should take seriously the idea that ‘Oumuamua – the 1st known object to pass through ...
Watch: Elon Musks SN9 Starship test flight & explosionDate: 05/02/2021
The stainless steel Starship prototype launched from SpaceX's Boca Chica facility near Brownsville, Texas, at 2:35 p.m. local ...
Discovery of two new giant radio galaxies offers fresh insights into the universeDate: 19/01/2021
Two giant radio galaxies have been discovered with South Africa’s powerful MeerKAT telescope, located in the Karoo region, a s ...
Iceberg due to collide with island splits in 2Date: 22/12/2020
Antarctic iceberg A-68A has drifted menacingly close to a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The giant iceberg coul ...
Covid-19: Here's the difference between a variant and a strainDate: 22/12/2020
Professor Ian Sanne, a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19, said there's a big difference between a 'stra ...
Water smart urban design can benefit Emfuleni’s environmentDate: 10/12/2020
Despite the flooding, our stormwater systems had a primary flush. Henceforth, the water will keep cleaning dirt and grime, aft ...
Our solar system will disintegrate sooner than we thoughtDate: 01/12/2020
Although the ground beneath our feet feels solid and reassuring (most of the time), nothing in this Universe lasts forever. O ...
Drug tricks cancer cells by impersonating a virusDate: 16/10/2020
The drug, called BO-112, is in human trials and mimics the structure of a double-stranded RNA molecule, a type of genetic mate ...
'The tip of the iceberg': England bans plastic straws, cotton buds, and stirrersDate: 01/10/2020
Starting October 1, it’s now illegal for businesses to supply customers with plastic straws and stirrers, or to sell plastic-s ...
Neanderthal genes linked to severe COVID-19; Mosquitoes cannot transmit the coronavirusDate: 01/10/2020
A group of genes passed down from extinct human cousins is linked with a higher risk for severe COVID-19, researchers say. Whe ...
How Neanderthals lost their Y chromosomeDate: 25/09/2020
Neanderthals have long been seen as uber-masculine hunks, at least compared with their lightweight human cousins, with whom th ...
Northern Hemisphere just had its hottest summer on recordDate: 16/09/2020
Not only was August 2020 the 2nd-warmest August on record, but the Northern Hemisphere had its warmest summer on record, and t ...
