Take the Leap! with Fikiswa Majola (Hart...

Science Spaza – Knowledge is Ncah! Jive Media Africa’s new initiative: Science for the People. We took the leap! A cosmic event that won’t happen again for another 4 years! On Wednesday the 29th of February we celebrated the leap year. We discovered how the orbit of the Earth makes a 20 year old celebrate their 5th birthday this month! Fikiswa Majola, Science junkie, passionate about astronomy and science outreach, skyped in. Fikiswa has traveled across the country and Africa to tell anyone who would listen about the beauty of astronomy, its importance...

Antarctic Christmas with Robert Inglis

Boring and white the Antarctic continent is not! In a celebration of colour and light, Robert Inglis’s photography brought Antarctica to life for the capacity crowd at the last Cafe Scientific of 2011. Focusing on the potential of the continent for climate change research in acknowledgement of the COP 17 conference which has just taken place in Durban, Robert discussed the South African and other programmes through his personal photographic diary and used google earth to highlight specific features. A SAASTA sponsored DVD on Antarctic research was also shown. Keep...

Rock Art Rocks! with Ndukuyakhe Ndlovu

In a thought provoking discussion, Ndukuyakhe got us to think critically about some of the established views on rock art – in particular around the spiritual significance attached to the eland. Considering frequencies of species represented in the art as well as other characteristics of the art in Northern KZN Ndukuyakhe queried whether some of the existing views stand up in the light of his research. The talk was presented to scholars and rock art enthusiasts as well as the general public. Scholars were offered the chance to win a trip to Game Pass Shelter by...

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Natur...

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature Ms Claire Janisch, BiomimicrySA 24 August 2011 Biomimicry is a new science of an ancient practice defined as “conscious emulation of life’s genius”: looking to nature for sustainable solutions to challenges we face. Says Claire: For designers, architects, engineers, and all innovators, the answer to the question “What would nature do here?” is a revelation. There’s not one new idea, but millions, ideas evolved in context, tested over eons, and proven to be safe for this generation and the...

Routes to Roots: A Genomic Walk Into the...

A Genomic Walk Into the Past – 25th July 2011 It was standing room only when Professor Himla Soodyall addressed an eager group of teachers, school children, varsity students and members of the general public at the Olwazini Discovery Centre in Pietermaritzburg. Talking on the theme Routes to Roots: A genomic walk into the past, and punctuating her simple but powerful explanations with slides and short videos, Prof Soodyall explained how DNA samples taken from people living all over the world are helping us understand how humans populated the globe – a story...

Tonight We Promise You the Moon with Dr ...

Total lunar eclipse on the 15 of June with Dr Vincent Couling, UKZN. A talk by Dr Vincent Couling is NEVER to be missed! His passion and knowledge are electrifying! By his use of a telescope and camera combination and with the image then projected on a screen, over 100 of us were able to get up close to the action as the Earth’s shadow crept across the craters and mountains of the moon. The total lunar eclipse occured when the entire moon entered the Earth’s umbra – the darkest part of its shadow. Dr Couling always does mesmerizing experiments and...

Worldviews Collide – Science Educa...

At May 2011′s Café Scientific, Jive Media Africa and the Moses Kotane Institute welcomed Dr Edith Dempster, Senior Lecturer at the School of Education and Development at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a passionate about science education. As individuals, we evaluate and respond to the world with a system of values and beliefs – otherwise known as a worldview – which helps us find answers to questions. A multi-cultural environment like South Africa is rich in diverse worldviews. However conflicting worldviews can present dilemmas especially for...

International Pi Day with Prof Michael D...

March 2011 Once again science has expanded minds! Café Scientific, a joint initiative between Jive Media Africa and the Moses Kotane Institute, was launched on Monday night to a capacity crowd at the office of Jive Media Africa.  Prof Michael De Villiers from the University of KwaZulu Natal engaged an enthusiastic audience on the topic Maths: Pie in the sky or bread and butter? Professor De Villiers spoke about the fascinating history and philosophy of maths, relating it to the number “Pi” and how this number crops up in the weirdest...