What’s in a name? The naming of Australopithecus sediba May 10, 2010
Posted by Alan in : SAJS, Uncategorized , add a commentProf Alan Morris, UCT; Associate Editor of SAJS
The first person to describe a new fossil gets the rights to name it. This has got be done at the time of the first publication as the privilege is not retrospect. Hesitate and someone else will pip you at the post. The payout is pretty impressive because the once the fossil has been named, the name is there forever with your priority stamped all over it in Latin.
But not everything in the name game is about priority and bragging rights. The whole system of classification is an art, not a science, and the choice of name tells you as much about the researcher as it does about the fossil. (more…)
Securing the Humanities in an Age of Failing Economics April 7, 2010
Posted by Peter in : Humanities and Education Studies, Projects, Uncategorized , add a commentProf Peter Vale, Co-Chair, ASSAf Consensus Panel on the Humanities
From almost every corner of the Anglophone world, the complaint is the same: “The Humanities are under threat”. I use the qualifier because, sadly, my ability to access other language worlds – beyond the Dutch-Afrikaans link – is limited.*
The question is what is to be done to recover and revive the Humanities?
Research and deliberations into ASSAf’s own Consensus Report on the Humanities in South Africa is well under way and the hope is to issue a preliminary report in late October, 2010. My own view of this issue is framed by an understanding of political economy – the rise of neo-liberal economics has emphasized economic growth and efficiency and, in this particular universe, the Humanities have no place ( the State of Science in South Africa, pg 210). This is a fallacy, of course. Take the creation of jobs. In this country alone, right now, one of the strongest areas of economic growth is Afrikaans cultural production – most of this is both creates jobs and pushes economic growth. (more…)
TWAS conference benefits South Africa November 23, 2009
Posted by Mutheu in : International Relations , 2comments
From left: Prof Robin Crewe (ASSAf), Prof Jacob Palis (TWAS), Prof Mohamed Hassan (TWAS), President Jacob Zuma (RSA), and Minister Naledi Pandor (DST).
The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) hosted an International Conference of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) from 18 – 23 October 2009 at the Durban International Convention Centre. The conference was attended by 452 participants from 63 countries in the developing world.
These participants included TWAS Fellows, TWAS Young Affiliates, DST senior officials, representatives from other government departments, Presidents of Science Councils in South Africa, Presidents of African science academies, and university representatives. The conference was also attended by the Ministers of Science and Technology of South Africa, Brazil, and India, other high ranking technical advisers of various governments in the developing and developed world, and representatives of Indian, Chinese, and Brazilian diplomatic missions in South Africa.
South African Journal of Science: current issue highlights October 23, 2009
Posted by Linda in : SAJS , 2commentsUniversities in a time of change
The common thread between all universities is that they are centres of debate and independent and critical thinking. In this issue, Nithaya Chetty discusses the threat that the suppression of academic freedom poses to South African universities, and raises his concerns regarding their corporatisation; and an associated marginalisation of the views of academics.
He points out that there is a widely-held view in South Africa, that academic freedom is a front for the perpetuation of elitism, and resistance to transformation. He thus argues that in order for our universities to protect academic freedom, it is essential for them to embrace valid processes of transformation.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (9/10), 325 – 327.
South Africa’s gold production: not worth its weight in gold?
South Africa’s gold mining industry continues to be a major economic force in the country, but it is not nearly as important as it used to be. South Africa has, for example, recently fallen into second place behind China in the world ranking of gold producing countries. Despite this decline in production, South Africa still claims first place in the world ranking of gold reserves. Hartnady discusses the credibility of this claim using a critical analysis of gold production on the Witwatersrand. He argues that the Witwatersrand goldfields are 95% exhausted, and that it is time to examine the benefits of a declining industry against the costs to the environment.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (9/10), 328 – 330.
Possible termite fossils in South Africa
The range of possible trace fossil architectures found in the Lower Jurassic sandstones in the Karoo region is reported for the first time in this issue by Bordy et al. The architecture of these sandstone structures indicates that they are fossils of an early Jurassic social insect, and they may be the best preserved social insect traces from the former Gondwana reported to date. This discovery in South Africa, together with an increasing number of fossils attributed to termite origin in North America, suggests that sociality in insects originated in the early Mesozoic, before the breakup of Pangea, which would explain their worldwide distribution today.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (9/10), 356 – 362
Fire management in threatened fynbos
Brian van Wilgen reviews current and historical fire management practices in fynbos. In fynbos, burning was initially considered to be destructive and prevented where possible. But gradually, as the vital role of fire in fynbos ecosystems became better understood, managers turned to prescribed burning and experimented with different space and time protocols. Despite these policies of prescribed burning, wild fires remain the dominant feature in fynbos, fortunately driving a variable fire regime that remains broadly aligned with conservation objectives. The problem of conserving fire-adapted fynbos is complicated by invading alien trees that are also fire adapted. Despite improvements in control methods, alien trees, notably pines, continue to spread almost unchecked. Biological control offered some hope for controlling pines, but was ruled out as too high a risk for these commercially important trees. Failure to address this problem adequately will almost certainly result in the severe degradation of remaining fynbos ecosystems.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (9/10), 335-342.
Watch the TWAS Conference live! October 20, 2009
Posted by Andrea in : Uncategorized , add a commenthttp://www.livestream.com/twasconference2009
TWAS Conference approaches: the final countdown October 13, 2009
Posted by Andrea in : Events, International Relations, Liaison , add a commentPreparations for the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) 11th General Conference to be hosted by ASSAf at the International Convention Centre (ICC), Durban from 19-23 October 2009 are well underway. Over 400 TWAS Fellows and invited guests are scheduled to attend what promises to be a momentous event. The theme for this year’s conference is “Science for Africa’s Development”. TWAS Committees and Council will assemble for two days prior to the start of the conference. Science and Technology (S&T) in South African will be showcased in a symposium comprising invited presentations from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and representatives from the Centres of Excellence in South Africa. (more…)
The state of HIV/AIDS clinical trials in South Africa August 18, 2009
Posted by Phakamile in : Health Studies, Projects , 1 comment so farClinical trials in South Africa are taking place almost in every province and majority of them are HIV/AIDS -related because of its high prevalence in the country. The good thing about this is that the communities in which these trial are carried out get to benefit by the level of HIV awareness information and education they receive. Through this education and awareness this contributed in the decreasing the level of new HIV infections.
However, the level of acceptance of these clinical trials in these communities is not always smooth sailing. Some of the main issues include: volunteering vs ‘guinea pigs’, re-imbursement and ethical aspects. Some communities, despite being fully informed, regard being reimbursed for volunteering in these trials as a form of coercion to join them. Others regard volunteers of these trials as guinea pigs. To address these issues communities are always reassured through communuty meetings and education.
SciELO SA goes live! August 13, 2009
Posted by Susan in : Open Access Scholarly Publishing , add a commentASSAf’s Open Scholarly Publishing team has been involved in the launch of a pilot site for SciELO SA, initially on the ScieELO Brazil site, has been established using their existing hardware, software, and mark-up processes. (more…)
