Science/Tech

Sanctioned Chinese AI Firm SenseTime Releases Image Model Built for Speed
With US restrictions limiting its access to advanced tech, SenseTime is doubling down on open source with a new model optimized to run on Chinese-made chips.

Astrophysics wasn’t Carole Jordan’s only legacy | Letter
Gillian Morriss-Kay explains why she was also a formidable advocate for women
Your obituary of the astrophysicist Carole Jordan (31 March) describes a life dedicated to making important discoveries about the complex nature of the universe. These inspiring discoveries could not have been made by sending rockets to the moon, but perhaps the excitement generated by the latter will encourage more...
GitHub ‘No Longer a Place For Serious Work’, Says Hashicorp Co-Founder
Hashicorp co-founder Mitchell Hashimoto says GitHub’s frequent outages have made it “no longer a place for serious work,” prompting him to move his Ghostty terminal emulator project elsewhere after 18 years on the platform. The Register reports: “I’ve been angry about it. I’ve hurt people’s feelings. I’ve been lashing out. Because GitHub is failing me, every single day, and it is personal. It...

SA’s Rising Young Scientists Take On Global Challenges At Regeneron ISEF In The USA
Three emerging young scientists are set to represent South Africa at the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), showcasing innovative research that addresses critical global challenges in environmental sustainability, space science and biomedical advancement. The Regeneron ISEF is the world’s largest pre-college science, technology, engineering and...

W Group Advances European Expansion as White Tech Obtains MiCA Authorization
April 29, 2026 — Zagreb, Croatia. WHITE TECH, part of the W Group ecosystem and majority-owned by Volodymyr Nosov, Founder and CEO of WhiteBIT, has received authorization from the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (HANFA) to operate as a crypto-asset service provider (CASP) under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. Within the W […]

4 Most Popular Cryptocurrencies For 2026: BlockDAG, XRP, BNB, and Dogecoin Make the Cut
The race to define the most popular cryptocurrency is no longer just about legacy names; it’s about momentum, scalability, and real-world utility. Established players like XRP, BNB, and Dogecoin continue to hold market attention with strong communities and recognizable use cases. At the same time, emerging projects like BlockDAG are beginning to reshape expectations with […]

From The Spaza To The Cloud: Closing South Africa’s Digital Divide Through Inclusive Innovation
There is a story South Africa has been telling itself about the digital divide, and it is only half true. The dominant narrative frames the problem as one of connectivity: lay the fibre, lower data prices, extend mobile coverage, and the informal economy will follow. It is a tidy story, and not entirely wrong. However, […]
Should Schools Get Rid of Homework?
Tony Isaac shares a report from NPR: Federal survey data shows that the amount of math homework assigned to fourth and eighth grade students, in particular, has been steadily declining for the past decade. Some educators and parents say this is a good thing — students shouldn’t spend six or more hours a day at school and still have additional schoolwork to complete at home. But the research on...

Motorola’s New Razr Folding Phones Command a Higher Price and Few Upgrades
Say hello (Moto) to price hikes on all three of Motorola’s latest Razr flip phones.

Reimagining Accessible Tech: Ross Tucker On Packard Bell’s AI-Driven Return To South Africa
We spoke to Ross Tucker, who leads Packard Bell’s regional strategy, about the thinking behind the brand’s re-entry, its pragmatic approach to AI, and why South Africa is the perfect proving ground for accessible innovation. What inspired Packard Bell’s return to South Africa? South Africa represents a tale of two economies. On one side, you […]

Malatsi asks to appear before Parliament
Communications minister Solly Malatsi looks to account before Parliament’s portfolio committee about the now-withdrawn draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy.

The friendlier the AI chatbot the more inaccurate it is, study suggests
Researchers found adjusting AI systems to be more warm and friendly to users would result in an “accuracy trade-off”.
Humanoid Robots Start Sorting Luggage In Tokyo Airport Test Amid Labor Shortage
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Humanoid robots are getting a new gig as baggage handlers and cargo loaders at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport — part of a Japan Airlines experiment to address a human labor shortage as airport visitor numbers have surged in recent years. The demonstration, set to launch in May 2026, could eventually test humanoid robots in a wide range of airport...

How Trump Weaponized the DOJ Division That Kept Elections Fair
The Trump administration has effectively forced out more than two dozen experienced lawyers from the DOJ’s Voting Section, the part of the agency responsible for upholding the Voting Rights Act.

Making AI chatbots more friendly leads to mistakes and support of conspiracy theories, study finds
Chatbots trained to respond warmly give poorer answers and worse health advice, researchers say
The rush to make AI chatbots more friendly has a troubling downside, researchers say. The warm personas make them prone to mistakes and sympathetic to crackpot beliefs.
Chatbots trained to respond more warmly gave poorer answers, worse health advice and even supported conspiracy theories by casting...

Blobs of fat and the smell of rotting garbage: at an idyllic Sydney beach, a 25-tonne sperm whale slowly disintegrates
Authorities are yet to decide how they will move the body of the massive creature, which is attracting humans, eagles – and plenty of sharks
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Thin strips of flesh hang down like rotten tinsel, swaying in the wind. Glistening fluid trickles on to the stone where insects buzz. On the windward side, the odour is masked by the salty air....
Meta Charged With Failing to Keep Children Off Instagram and Facebook in Europe
European Union regulators said the company did not have effective controls to check a user’s self-declared date of birth, in violation of an online safety law.

What does the Zoological Society of London do? After 200 years, the answer is still ‘everything’ | Martin Rowson
The ZSL has given us the word ‘zoo’, inspired artists and birthed a quarter of all Sumatran tigers. It has fascinated me since childhood – and the world since 1826
In the spring of 1826, two extraordinary things occurred in central London. The first was the death of Chunee the elephant. On 1 March at Cross’s Menagerie, upstairs in the Exeter ’Change on the Strand, Chunee was killed by a...

Ex-Nedbank CIO Naicker joins Bank South Pacific
Former Nedbank group chief information officer Ray Naicker has been appointed as group CIO of Bank South Pacific.