Science/Tech

Turn on, tune in, cash out … The US right used to fear psychedelics. Now it wants to sell them | Kojo Koram
Hallucinogens have come a long way from the 60s counterculture to Trump’s White House – propelled by veterans’ lobbying and Silicon Valley capital
Kojo Koram’s new book, The Next Fix: Winners and Losers in the Future of Drugs, is out on 4 June
On 13 May 1966, a US Senate subcommittee questioned a former Harvard clinical psychologist, considered by many to be “the most dangerous man in...

The AI policy that AI broke
From US courtrooms to Australian government reports, hallucinated citations are everywhere. Pretoria has now joined the club.

New DStv owner Canal+ confirms JSE listing date
The global media group will become the first French company with a secondary listing on the Johannesburg bourse.

Pivotal week for US tech stocks
Four tech giants pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into AI report results this week – and investors want signs of returns.

Social media restrictions for under-16s even if no ban, minister says
The government is consulting on changes as a new social media law goes through its final Parliamentary stages.

State broadband merger limps into a second decade
The communications department has pushed the long-promised merger of Broadband Infraco and Sentech to 2029.

If it feels like the world is rejecting science and truth, here are five ways to fight back | Helen Pearson
All of us can choose to consider facts, not vibes, in our next decision. One simple hack is go and look up some easily accessible peer-reviewed studies
Helen Pearson is an editor for Nature and author of Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works
In 1992, a group of rebel doctors published a radical idea in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association. They argued that...

Musk v Altman: The most toxic row in tech goes on trial
The battle between the AI big hitters has largely played out on social media. Now it is coming to the courtroom.

AI governance: the key to growth for SA’s financial institutions
Fenergo explains why AI governance is now central to growth and trust in South African financial services.

Valve’s £85 Steam Controller divides gamers ahead of May launch
The pad will be compatible with PCs, Valve’s handheld console, the Steam Deck as well as its upcoming gaming PC.

Turn passion into presence with a .digital domain name
A .digital domain is brandable, globally relevant and ideal for entrepreneurs, creators and digital-first businesses.
Internet Restrictions Spur Russians to Openly Question Putin’s Moves
From beauty influencers to the token political opposition, Russians are openly questioning President Vladimir V. Putin’s moves to hamstring access.
What Elon Musk’s Clash With Sam Altman of OpenAI Is Really About
Mr. Musk’s lawsuit against Mr. Altman and OpenAI makes the case that all-encompassing greed is Silicon Valley’s defining feature.

WhatsApp becomes the doctor’s office in Turn.io’s voice AI play
Praekelt-founded platform Turn.io has named Anthropic and ElevenLabs as partners for its 2026 health accelerator.

Sub-Saharan data centre roll-out slows as smaller players falter
Smaller operators are struggling to find tenants while hyperscale operators pull further ahead, according to a new study.

Worries over OpenAI’s growth as Anthropic gains ground
OpenAI has fallen short of its goals for new users and revenue in recent months, according to a new report.

Taylor Swift trademarks her voice to fight AI fakes
Taylor Swift’s filings are aimed at testing whether trademark law can do what copyright cannot in the AI era.

Trump fires independent board overseeing National Science Foundation
Positions ‘terminated, effective immediately’, says email to scientists sent on president’s behalf, in move labelled ‘dangerous attack’ on US innovation
The Trump administration has fired members of an independent board that oversees the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Members of the National Science Board received an email on Friday sent from the Presidential Personnel Office “on behalf...

What is a food intolerance, and how do you know if you have one? – podcast
Social media is awash with content about food intolerances and the symptoms to look out for. But figuring out whether you actually have one, and what’s triggering it, is surprisingly difficult. One avenue people are gravitating towards is at-home testing. Madeleine Finlay sits down with health and lifestyle journalist Rebecca Seal to unpick the science behind these tests. Rebecca explains how...