Science

Why do potholes occur?

Poor road construction, inadequate drainage and insufficient maintenance are the main causes

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Science | 4 October 2024

How climate change threatens South Africa’s wine industry

Higher temperatures pose a raft of challenges for vineyards and the jobs that depend on them

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Science | 30 September 2024

Using carbon dating to stop elephant and rhino poaching

But even a controlled ivory trade may send the wrong message

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Science | 23 September 2024

New frog species found in Cederberg

Meet Cacosternum cederbergense, the Cederberg Dainty Frog

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Science | 20 September 2024

How much worse are coloured plastics for the environment?

Studies are finding more reason to boycott coloured plastic products

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Science | 6 September 2024

How we know a new medicine is so effective at preventing HIV transmission

There was not a single HIV transmission in a clinical trial in which women volunteers used the twice-yearly injectable drug lenacapavir

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Science | 1 August 2024

Scientists told us our winters would get drier. So what happened last week?

Climate change means extreme events are likely to happen more often

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Science | 16 July 2024

Latest science confirms plummeting penguin population

New model forms the basis for an urgent recommendation to change African Penguin’s conservation status from endangered to critically endangered

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Science | 15 July 2024

Get rid of leaf blowers: they pollute and their purpose is dubious

Many use two-stroke engines which are an environmental hazard

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Science | 14 December 2023

African dinosaurs and the sixth mass extinction

Palaeobiologist Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan speaks at GroundUp’s Science for the People seminar

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Science | 4 December 2023

South Africans are living longer, mostly thanks to HIV treatment

Antiretroviral medicines have been a success, but more work is needed to reach United Nations targets

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Science | 1 December 2023

Farmers put on alert as El Niño takes effect

The South African Weather Service warns of possibly hot and dry summer ahead

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Science | 25 October 2023

Microplastics are a danger to our health. Here’s how to reduce our exposure to them

Some well-intentioned initiatives make the situation worse

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Science | 24 October 2023

Here’s how the Western Cape can prepare better for weather like we had in September

Climate change may bring more variable weather but we can reduce the risk of disasters

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Science | 23 October 2023

Western Cape floods: Is climate change to blame?

It’s hard to blame global warming for a single weather event, but storms like last week’s are becoming more likely

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Science | 5 October 2023

Is our food becoming less nutritious? Probably

But solutions are not at all simple

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Science | 21 April 2023