Fossil hunters find tracks of animals from about 3 million years ago – a first in South Africa

These tracksites appear to contain the first recorded Pliocene vertebrate tracks described from southern Africa.

South Africa needs to rethink how it measures intellectual and developmental disabilities – what’s lacking

South Africa needs to take pragmatic steps to plug the shortcomings in the data that’s collected on people with intellectual ...

Australia’s national AI plan has just been released. Who exactly will benefit?

The new Australian plan prioritises creating a local AI software industry, spreading the benefit of AI “productivity gains” ...

Planning life after high school isn’t easy – 4 tips to help students and families navigate the process

Students and their families can’t plan for everything, or know with absolute certainty what the best decision is. But they ...

Google plans to power a new data center with fossil fuels, yet release almost no emissions – here’s how its carbon capture tech works

To reduce emissions put into the atmosphere, Google is using carbon capture and sequestration. But not all CCS projects are ...

Larry Summers’ sexism is jeopardizing his power and privilege, but the entire economics profession hinders progress for women

In 2024, according to the National Science Foundation, 34.2% of newly minted economics Ph.D.s – about 1 in 3 – in the U.S.

Google is relying on its own chips for its AI system Gemini. Here’s why that’s a seismic change for the industry

This hardware sat quietly in the background while most of the attention was focused on algorithms and data. Google’s decision ...

Before trips to Mars, we need better protection from cosmic rays

High-energy particles streaming through space can damage DNA and increase cancer risk, but antioxidants, tardigrades and ...

DNA from soil could soon reveal who lived in ice age caves

Sediment DNA also traces life outside the cave. Predators dragged prey into sheltered chambers, humans left waste behind. By ...
The Conversation

African land policy reforms have been good for women and communities – but review of 18 countries shows major gaps

Marc Wegerif receives research funding from the DSTI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS). He is a Senior Lecturer in Development Studies at the University of Pretoria and a Principal ...

In 1939, a Royal Commission found burning forests leads to more bushfires. But this cycle of destruction can be stopped

After devastating fires in 1939, authorities began burning forests to reduce fuel load. But we now know this creates ...

Copper theft is hitting building sites, street lights – and now phones. How do we stop it?

There are different rules in different states on selling scrap copper. A 2023 inquiry found that makes it hard to stop ...