African Frontiers is a new Mail & Guardian series highlighting science and technology in Africa. We’ll celebrate the talents of African pioneers across a multitude of disciplines, and attempt to capture the joy of discovery as much as the challenge of resolving practical problems on our continent
Belinda Beresford african frontiers
When all around them are leaving, what keeps a dozen of the world’s top scientists in South Africa? Despite the brain drain the country still boasts some of the best scientists on the planet, ranging from an astrophysicist who worked with Cambridge cosmologist Stephen Hawking to a doctor specialising in heart attacks. There are a dozen scientists rated A1 – as good as it gets – in South Africa, according to the National Research Foundation (NRF). They are a subgroup of almost 50 A-rated world-class scientists, who in turn are part of a force of almost 1 000 internationally recognised scientists in South Africa. South Africans also
excel in other fields such as palaeontology.
But when so many of South Africa’s skilled people are leaving, why are these 12 still here? For Professor Maarten de Wit of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT’s) department of geology, it’s simple: “The country has a phenomenal rock record. An enormous history: almost four billion years of earth history on our doorsteps.” He is at the forefront of research into evolution, especially the changes the Earth underwent in its very early stages. De Wit is also involved in a major collaborative project examining what South Africa looks like 1E000km under its skin of earth and vegetation.
South Africa is a cornucopia of scientific raw material for other scientists. Professor William Bond of UCT is a botanist whose research centres on ecosystem dynamics: how current or long-past global changes shape flora. Bond is also a world expert at the relationship between fynbos and savannah and fire, looking at the ecology and especially the processes which lie behind vegetation change. Another A1 scientist is Professor John Gurney, also of UCT’s geology department. A leading geochemist, one of his areas of speciality is diamonds – his research helped in the discovery of diamond deposits in Canada. Rocks are also one of the attractions of South Africa for Professor Lewis Ashwal of Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), who describes the country as a “natural workshop”.
He made his name while at Nasa, where his work helped prove that bits of Mars, if not of Martians, have indeed landed. He helped prove that some meteorites originate on the red planet, at the time a defiance of the orthodoxy that such interplanetary transfers were impossible. The proof was obtained by analysing air trapped in meteorites and showing that it has the same composition as the Martian atmosphere. Ashwal’s international standing is mainly derived by his expertise in anorthosites, a kind of igneous rock that contains only one mineral. Look up at the moon and the pale areas are anorthosites; the dark areas are basalt. Ashwal cheerfully admits that anorthosites are not of great intrinsic use, although they are very interesting for mining companies since they appear in close proximity to valuable minerals such as nickel and platinum. He’s looking at the Bushveld Complex, the massive, almost saucer-shaped deposit of platinum that lies under South Africa’s soil in the north of the country. >From the bowels of the earth to the skies: astrophysicist George Ellis co-wrote a book with Hawking on relativity and his work now includes looking at the relationship between theory and function – looking at the limits of science. Originally South African, he returned for a mixture of reasons: personal ones, the desire to help a new country and also because he couldn’t stand the idea of spending the rest of his life in Cambridge. He helped drive the construction of the South African Large Telescope, which when completed in Sutherland (the ground- breaking ceremony was on September 1) will be the second-largest telescope in the world. In common with many of his fellow elite scientists Ellis has numerous interests outside his speciality, including, for example, development policy. Last year Ellis’s 60th birthday was celebrated with a special international conference called by his peers. His promotion to distinguished professor of complex systems took place at the same time as that of fellow UCT Professor Brian Warner to the title of distinguished professor of natural philosophy. Warner was also lured by African skies to further pursue his research into white dwarfs; very compact and very hot stars. He too was honoured by his fellow astronomers who organised a 60th birthday conference in Oxford – to his delight arranging to have Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter as keynote speaker. Confessing that it is only another four years to his retirement, Warner hastily adds that he has no intention of stopping work. “I shall work until I drop. It’s so interesting,” he says. Dr Chris Barnard put South African medicine on the world stage when he performed the first heart transplant in 1969. He was also instrumental in luring back a man destined to become another of South Africa’s top scientists, cardiac expert Dr Lionel Opie. Opie says that international research suggests that in 20 years heart disease will be the biggest single killer of South Africans, outstripping even HIV/Aids. His work includes looking at ways of preventing the effects of heart attacks, such as helping the heart to help itself. The diminished blood supply to the heart muscle itself, as a result of choleresterol-caused coronary disease, can unexpectedy lead the heart to “pre-condition” itself. This is somewhat like an athlete going into training to prepare himself for the strenuous times ahead.
Professor Michael Kew of the University of the Witwatersrand is another top medical scientist: he is a leading figure in world research on liver cancer. Liver cancer is a “horrendous” problem in sub-Saharan Africa, an unhappy distinction shared with the Far East, he says. The incidence of liver cancer is largely due to the very high levels of hepatitis B infection; probably at least a quarter of the 387-million people infected with the virus worldwide will develop the tumour. In black rural areas the average age of death of liver cancer sufferers is 37. The research conducted by Professor Doron Lubinsky, also at Wits, straddles mathematics and applied mathematics. His leading work looks at approximating complicated mathematical functions by using simple ones. Analytical chemist Professor Patrick Sandra moved to the University of Stellenbosch about two and a half years ago. His work looks at technological advances of separation chemistry, the science of separating and identifying different chemicals.
His work covers a wide span of uses, from doping control to pollution detection. He says there is such high demand for analytical chemists that many of his students are lured overseas, a comment repeated by many of the top 12. Some say that they used to encourage students to gain international experience – only now the students are not returning to bring back their knowledge and skills. The Mondi professor of forest pathology at the University of Pretoria, Michael Wingfield, is eloquent on the subject: “Scientists and other professionals are leaving at an alarming rate. The great danger here is that when one important person leaves, it becomes more difficult for others to stay. In effect, my colleagues leaving must ultimately force me to leave – or at least to dispense with main-line science.” Among his other accomplishments, Wingfield was responsible for establishing an institute for forestry and agricultural biotechnology, which is now internationally recognised for its expertise in those areas.
Professor David Glasser is a process engineer at Wits whose expertise lies in turning
accepted wisdom on its head. Rather than designing an industrial plant and then checking that the process works, he and his team look at the underlying physics and chemistry, and use this to design the plant, the operating conditions and the flow between the pieces of equipment. They operate by looking at the fundamental physical processes instead of building on historical knowledge of the required production process. This means that rather than just having a working process, there is a better chance of making sure the solution is the optimal method of operation. His team uses geometric ideas to work out their results, while traditionally such problems were solved algebraically. Computers are not very good at geometry, requiring more input and insight from the human involved. All the scientists cite lack of money and equipment as a recurring problem: there are times when natural resources are not enough and scientists become frustrated. In these circumstances collaboration becomes even more important. Geologist Maarten de Wit, for example, says that without international collaborators he would be unable to stay at the vanguard of his profession. South Africa simply does not have some of the equipment he needs.
In a way this is how the world is going. International collaboration is becoming not only accepted but standard, with international teams forming to use the best minds available for projects. This globalisation of science and technology is shown by the top scientists themselves, many of whom are not native South Africans. The fact that many of this elite group were not born here is a positive not a negative sign. Time after time immigrants have proven of enormous benefit to their adopted homeland. The Jews of Germany, chased from Germany, turned their expertise and knowledge to help destroy Adolf Hitler. Long may scientists be lured to the cradle of humanity – and hopefully many South Africans who have gone abroad seeking knowledge will also continue to return.
n The finals of this year’s Expo for Young Scientists will be open to the public on September 28 at the University of Pretoria sports centre from 8.30am. E-mail the editor:[email protected]
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