HIGHLIGHTS from the current issue of the South African Journal of Science (Vol 106 5/6 May/June 2010)
Pebble Bed Modular Reactor demonstration plant is funded but not constructed – C. McKune
In this issue, Craig McKune investigates what happened to funds granted by Parliament to build the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor. This follows an announcement made by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in February 2010 that the South African government would stop funding the development of a demonstration plant for the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (Pty) Ltd (PBMR). The Department of Public Enterprises has transferred R6 billion to the PBMR company over the past three years for ‘the funding of operations and building of a demonstration power plant’, according to Vuyo Tlale, the department’s Acting Chief Director for Energy. But no plant has been built and the PBMR board chairman, Alistair Ruiters, has declined to elaborate on how this money was spent.
Read More: McKune C. Pebble bed modular reactor demonstration plant is funded but not constructed. S Afr J Sci. 2010;106(5/6), Art. #287, 3 pages. DOI: 10.4102/sajs. v106i5/6.287
Link to this article: http://www.sajs.co.za/index.php/SAJS/article/view/287/355
Concentration camps of the South African War – E. Van Heyningen
Elizabeth van Heyningen suggests in this article that the concentration camps of the South African War of 1899–1902 became a means of introducing the rural society of the Boers to the facilities of modern life. While not denying the tragedy of the large number of deaths in the concentration camps, van Heyningen posits that to some extent the camps became a means of ‘civilising’ and assimilating the Boers into British colonial society. A modern public health system was finally introduced to lower the high rate of mortality, which led to the establishment of an infrastructure that familiarised the Boers with modern sanitary routines. This left a legacy of more substantial services for the Transvaal and Orange Free State villages.
Read more: Van Heyningen E. A tool for modernisation? The Boer concentration camps of the South African War, 1900–1902. S Afr J Sci. 2010;106(5/6), Art. #242, 10 pages. DOI: 10.4102/sajs. v106i5/6.242
Link to this article: http://www.sajs.co.za/index.php/SAJS/article/view/242/328
Atmospheric nitrogen budget over the SA Highveld – K.S. Collett, S.J. Piketh and K.E. Ross
Satellite images indicate very high nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the Highveld region – a highly industrialised area with nine coal-fired power stations. Collett et al. therefore investigated the atmospheric nitrogen budget over the Highveld for a period of one year. They found that concentrations of nitrogen oxide and nitrate peaked in winter, as did dry deposition rates of nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide and nitrate. Nitrogen was predominantly deposited as nitrogen dioxide, but the total annual amount deposited was well below the stipulated critical level. Only 4-15% of nitrogen emitted from power generation was deposited to the surface; the majority was advected out of the region. Such deposition, therefore, should not pose significant threats to the natural environment on the Highveld.
Read more: Collett KS, Piketh SJ, Ross KE. An assessment of the atmospheric nitrogen budget on the South African Highveld. S Afr J Sci. 2010;106(5/6), Art. #220, 9 pages. DOI: 10.4102/sajs.v106i5/6.220
Link to this article: http://www.sajs.co.za/index.php/SAJS/article/view/220/315
Also of note:
Maize hybrid used to produce an HIV microbicide – E Barros and SW Nelson. Read more: Barros E, Nelson SW. Creation of a high-yielding recombinant maize hybrid for the production of a microbicide to prevent HIV-1 transmission. S Afr J Sci. 2010;106(5/6), Art. #225, 5 pages. DOI: 10.4102/sajs.v106i5/6.225
Link to this article: http://www.sajs.co.za/index.php/SAJS/article/view/225/310
HIGHLIGHTS from the current issue of the South African Journal of Science (Vol 106 3/4 Mar/Apr 2010)
New hominin fossils from Malapa: The unveiling of Australopithecus sediba – A. Morris
Alan Morris discusses the finding of Australopithecus sediba (the find which was recently announced by Prof Lee Berger), and its importance to the palaeontological community. The skeletons are dated to between 1.95 and 1.78 million years ago, placing them at a critical juncture of human evolution – around the time of the first appearance of the genus Homo. These partial or nearly complete skeletons (as well as others such as ‘Little Foot’ found in Sterkfontein) provide researchers with information about body proportions and functional anatomy that is much more difficult to glean from isolated bones, so their value cannot be understated.
Morris predicts that further debate will be stimulated as more scholars perform detailed studies of the bones. The Institute for Human Evolution, housed at the University of the Witwatersrand, is gathering more information about the Australopithecines, and a workshop held there in January, provided an opportunity to discuss the anatomy of the accumulating set of fossil bones from various skeletons of this genus. Morris expresses his hope that Berger will make the specimens available to other workers to study the ‘whole body’ anatomy of these hominins.
Read more: S Afr J Sci. 2010;106(3/4), Art. #209, 2 pages. DOI: 10.4102/sajs.v106i3/4.209.
A review of scientific linkages and interactions between climate change and air quality, with implications for air quality management in South Africa –T. Thambiran and R. Diab
Thambiran and Diab review the scientific relationship between climate change and air quality, focusing on implications for South African air quality management (AQM) policy. They find that a warmer, evolving climate is likely to have severe consequences for air quality due to impacts on pollution sources and meteorology. Climate-induced changes to sources of greenhouse gases and to the circulation of the atmosphere are likely to alter both the concentration and dispersion of near-surface ozone, thus compromising improvements in air quality. The control of air pollutants through air quality management is also likely to impact on climate change, with potential reductions in ozone, particulate matter and sulphur dioxide.
An improved understanding of the relationship between air quality and climate change provides a scientific basis for policy interventions. Current policy is based on the Kyoto Protocol, which prescribes emission reductions, covering a set of six greenhouse gases. However, air quality policies have revealed inadequacies in addressing climate change issues. AQM processes generally do not consider greenhouse gas mitigation or the implications of air pollution control on climate change, and most policies are based on the assumption of the climate remaining stable.
South Africa has been making progress in seeking the most appropriate methods of improving air quality in the country. The Air Quality Act (Act No. 39 of 2004), together with the subsequent National Framework for Air Quality Management, highlights the importance of ensuring that AQM practices are compliant with the international agreements signed by the country, such as the Kyoto Protocol, and that they take cognisance of greenhouse gas emissions. However, presently there is no policy direction as to how this can be achieved, with the result that the actions and decision-making processes related to AQM ignore the potential climate change implications.
Read more: S Afr J Sci. 2010;106(3/4), Art. #56, 8 pages. DOI:10.4102/sajs.v106i3/4.56.
Also of note:
Assessing the hunting practices of Namibia’s commercial seal hunt skills – S. Kirkman and D. Lavigne. Read more: S Afr J Sci. 2010;106(3/4), Art. #166, 3 pages. DOI: 10.4102/sajs.v106i3/4.166.
No free ride for African women: A comparison of head-loading versus back-loading among Xhosa women – R. Lloyd, B. Parr, S. Davies, C. Cooke. Read more: S Afr J Sci. 2010;106(3/4), Art. #153, 5 pages. DOI: 10.4102/sajs.v106i3/4.153.
Visit www.sajs.co.za for full-text articles.
Prof Roseanne Diab, Executive Officer of the Academy of Science of South Africa and emeritus professor of environmental sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, has been elected as vice chair of the InterAcademy Council (IAC) committee that will conduct an independent review of the procedures and processes of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Harold T. Shapiro, an economist and former president of Princeton University and the University of Michigan, will chair the 12-member committee which will hold its first meeting on May 14-15 in Amsterdam. The review was requested last month by the United Nations.
Clinical research in South Africa needs to be re-organised and revitalised, says ASSAf report
The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has released a peer-reviewed report, entitled Revitalising Clinical Research in South Africa: A Study on Clinical Research and Related Training in South Africa. The Report was written by a 13-member Panel representing a wide diversity of health scientists and scholars from all over the country chaired by Professor Bongani Mayosi of the University of Cape Town.
Academic freedom has been debated in South Africa for many decades, mostly as a result of violations by apartheid-era policies. After almost 16 years as a democratic nation, the academic freedom debate remains as relevant as ever, with several much-publicised cases highlighting the situation in the country. The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has released a statement on the subject on behalf of scholars comprising its Membership. In the statement, the Academy defends the rights of academics and researchers to conduct independent, unfettered investigations and to report on these accurately and objectively.
Academic Freedom is not only constitutionally protected, but rests on the capacity for independent commentary that is crucial to the evidence-based work that is unique to Academies. Indeed, the Academy of Science of South Africa’s mission of “Science for Society” cannot be realised without the exercise of the freedom to research, write, and speak robustly and professionally, without fear or favour on any topic including the impact of science on society.
HIGHLIGHTS from the current issue of the South African Journal of Science (Vol 106 1/2 2010)
No deal at Copenhagen – J. Wilson
The lead-up to the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December 2009 was phenomenal. Governments were outdoing each other to announce their commitments to national action. It was an important event for two reasons: first, because no emission reduction targets have been set for after 2012, and second, because large sums of money and resources currently need to be committed to address climate change.
South African Journal of Science takes another step forward
he South African Journal of Science, which has been fully open access since last year, has taken its next major step – moving to an online publishing platform.
The South African Journal of Science title, in its 106th year of existence, is now owned by the Academy of Science of South Africa and hosted by AOSIS, OpenJournals Publishing.
Quest science magazine launches interactive website
The popular science magazine Quest is launching an interactive website to make science more accessible and exciting for learners.
The website, QuestInteractive, will be launched by the publisher of the magazine, the Academy of Science of South Africa, at the SciFest 2010 festival in Grahamstown this week. It will be demonstrated using groundbreaking technology developed at the CSIR Meraka Institute.
Communiqué of the InterAcademy Panel Biodiversity Conference
In keeping with the International Year of Biodiversity as proclaimed by the United Nations a draft communiqué on biodiversity was prepared at the IAP meeting held in London in January this year. Click here to download communiqué.