insert_link Namibia Study Reveals Brightly Colored Plastics Degrade Faster, Amplifying Microplastic Pollution The study by researchers from the University of Cape Town and the University of Leicester found that brightly colored plastics degrade into microplastics faster than plain-colored ones. This suggests that manufacturers should reconsider the use of certain colorants to reduce microplastic pollution. Local ecologist Peter Cuningham shared this on the study. todayJune 12, 2024 14
insert_link Africa Major global media still fails Africa, but bright spots emerge By Seth Onyango, via bird story agency Despite some progress, a clichéd and often stereotypical coverage of Africa persists among major global media outlets. However, there are notable exceptions like The Guardian, AFP, Al Jazeera, and Reuters, which are breaking the mould with balanced reporting of the continent. Findings from the University of Cape Town's Global Media Index for Africa (GMI) suggest that major news […] todayMay 23, 2024 38
insert_link Lifestyle South Africa’s ageing population comes with new challenges. How best to adapt to them By Lauren Johnston, University of Sydney Young people – under the age of 15 – currently make up 29% of South Africa’s population. But this will soon change: the aged portion of the population is forecast to rise from 2030, bringing many challenges. Lauren Johnston, an economics and political economy expert, recently published a paper on the subject. We asked her to put the developments into perspective. What is […] todayJanuary 22, 2024 14
insert_link Africa African dinosaurs and the sixth mass extinction “It’s really important that we realise we need to take better care of the planet, otherwise we’ll also go the way of the dinosaur,” said Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, palaeobiologist and professor at the University of Cape Town. She was speaking at GroundUp’s final Science for the People seminar for the year, hosted at Bertha House in Cape Town on Friday 1 December. Chinsamy-Turan has a species of Sabre-toothed cat named after her. The topic of […] todayDecember 5, 2023 8
insert_link Science & Technology South African university students use AI to help them understand – not to avoid work Students are not adopting digital and AI-powered tools uncritically. tzido/iStock Tanja Bosch, University of Cape Town and Chikezie E. Uzuegbunam, Rhodes University When ChatGPT was released in November 2022, it sparked many conversations and moral panics. These centre on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the information environment. People worry that AI chatbots can negatively affect the integrity of creative and academic work, especially since they can produce […] todayNovember 20, 2023 19
