
One of the largest searches for alien life started 30 years ago. Its legacy lives on today
Jan 31, 2025 08:38 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
In February 1995, a small research organisation known as the SETI Institute launched what was then the most comprehensive search for an answer to a centuries-old question: are we alone in the universe? This Sunday marks...

‘Sustainable’ aviation fuel and other myths about green airport expansion debunked
Jan 31, 2025 02:52 am UTC| Insights & Views Business
Environmentalists and locals have resisted a third runway at Londons Heathrow, Europes busiest airport, for more than two decades. Today, their efforts took a major setback. The UK government has announced it will give the...

How close are quantum computers to being really useful? Podcast
Jan 31, 2025 02:52 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology
Quantum computers have the potential to solve big scientific problems that are beyond the reach of todays most powerful supercomputers, such as discovering new antibiotics or developing new materials. But to achieve these...

Land seizure and South Africa’s new expropriation bill: scholar weighs up the new act
Jan 31, 2025 02:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
South Africa has a new law to govern the expropriation (or compulsory acquisition) of private property by government for public purposes or in the public interest. The passing of the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 followed a...

Why Trump’s meme coin is a cash grab
Jan 31, 2025 02:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Digital Currency
Three days before his presidential inauguration, Donald Trump launched a meme coin, a type of cryptocurrency whose value is buoyed by social media and internet culture, rather than any sort of functionality or intrinsic...
Jan 31, 2025 02:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Health Life
After many years of partisan politics, increasingly divisive language, finger-pointing and inflammatory speech have contributed to an environment of fear and uncertainty, affecting not just political dynamics but also the...

How satellites and AI help fight wildfires today
Jan 31, 2025 02:48 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology
As wind-driven wildfires spread through the Los Angeles area in January 2025, fire-spotting technology and computer models were helping firefighters understand the rapidly changing environment they were facing. That...