About 200 million years ago, furry little egg-laying creatures evolved the ability to feed their offspring with a secretion from some special glands: milk. Their evolutionary journey continued and by about 160 million years ago, the first mammals with a real placenta had come into being. Instead of laying eggs, they gave birth to live…
It is still unclear what caused the glacier to collapse on Wednesday. Searle said that Langtang Lirung, like the rest of the Himalayas, has been slowly rising due to long-term tectonic movement, where one plate has been pushing another plate up. “It’s like putting a jack under the car, and then jacking it up.” “As…
For centuries, useful metals have been developed by starting with one core element and adding small amounts of other elements. Steel, for example, is composed primarily of iron; carbon is added in varied amounts to produce different grades of steel. Bronze is made up of copper and tin. These mixtures are known as alloys. Africa…
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee narrowly voted in favor of loosening restrictions on peptides over strong objections from agency career scientists. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Throughout the daylong meeting, FDA scientists detailed a lack of evidence supporting the use of the peptides…
In the intricate biology of the human body, organs such as the breast, the colon and the lungs are lined with a defensive barrier known as the epithelium. At the heart of this barrier sits a remarkable protein called Mucin-1 (MUC1). In a healthy body, MUC1 is like a sentinel. It stands on the cell…
Hantaviruses are not new. They have circulated for decades in rodent populations, particularly in rats and mice. Humans can become infected if they are bitten or scratched by a rodent or by inhaling aerosolised particles. These are tiny bits of rodent urine, faeces or saliva floating through the air that are contaminated by the virus….
Tiro Moyo, Gerhard Vosloo and Rudra Patel take on global challenges at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, showcasing innovation in AI, space science and biomedical research. (Image supplied) Three South African high school learners will represent the country at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the US next month, presenting…
Scientists in Mexican have used a specialised treatment to eliminate Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer, in a group of patients during clinical research. ALSO READ: Cervical cancer: Rwanda rolls out new HPV vaccine The research team led by Eva Ramón Gallegos, a scientist at Mexico’s National Polytechnic Institute,…
Local young scientists have been awarded gold and silver medals at the Initiative for Research and Innovation in STEM (IRIS) Global Symposium in India. Four local young scientists have won top honours at the Initiative for Research and Innovation in STEM (IRIS) Global Symposium, held in New Delhi, India from 27 to 31 January. The…
The Japan Prize Foundation announced the winners of the 2026 Japan Prize at 1:00 p.m. on 21 January 2026. Prof. Cynthia Dwork (USA) has been awarded the Japan Prize in the field of Electronics, Information, and Communication. Prof. Shizuo Akira (Japan) and Prof. Zhijian “James” Chen (USA) have been awarded the Japan Prize in the…
