Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
James Randerson

Creator

James Randerson

Guest Author

‘Ida’s our Mona Lisa’

James Randerson and Ed Pilkington describe how the purchase of ‘Ida’ was a huge gamble for the scientist who secured the specimen.

Toxic metals in remedies sold online

One-fifth of Indian herbal medicines available over the internet contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic, according to researchers.

How ‘Lightning’ Bolt cost himself 0,14 seconds

Had Usain Bolt not begun his celebrations 20m before the finish of the Olympic 100m final, he may have smashed his record by a further 0,14 seconds.

No more monkey business

Outlook for monkeys, apes and other primates has dramatically worsened. Nearly half of all primate species are threatened with extinction.

Nearly half of the world’s primates at risk of extinction

Nearly half of all primate species are now threatened with extinction, according to a comprehensive new evaluation.

Diet curbs epilepsy

Giving children with epilepsy a special low-carb diet reduces the number of seizures they experience by 75% compared with children on a normal diet.

Vision of tomorrow today

One of the world’s most distinguished physicists has scrutinised some science-fiction concepts, such as teleportation and forcefields, and is convinced that they can become…

Elephants wary of buzzing bees

It might seem the epitome of a David versus Goliath mismatch — up to 12 tonnes of heavily armoured mammal flesh versus a few hundred milligrams of irritating insect — but despite…

Older climbers more likely to die on Everest

For the retired businessman bored with zero gravity flights, heli- skiing, flying ex-military Russian Mig fighter jets and swimming with sharks, climbing Everest can be the…

Research clears cellphone masts

Cellphone masts do not cause harmful short-term health effects, according to a study of people who say they experience symptoms when they are close to them. The study dealt…

Down a lion, feel satisfied

Deep in the Congolese jungle is a band of apes that, according to local legend, kill lions, catch fish and even howl at the moon. Local hunters speak of massive creatures that…

The answer to that 248-dimensional structure

A mathematical problem that remained unsolved for more than a century has finally been cracked by an international team of 18 scientists. The puzzle, which is so complex that its…

Early alert for lung cancer

Scientists have developed a test for the early diagnosis of lung cancer. They hope that analysis of the genes that are switched on and off in cells lining the airways leading to…

2056: A high-tech utopia?

A limitless supply of spare organs, hard evidence of aliens and a machine that puts you in the mind of an animal. These are some of the predictions made about the world of 2056…

World’s richest 1% own 40% of wealth

The richest 1% of adults in the world own 40% of the planet’s wealth, according to the largest study yet of wealth distribution. The report also finds that those in financial…

Study: Ecstasy damage is immediate

People who use Ecstasy for the first time could suffer impaired memory and harm to their brains, a new study of the dance drug’s effects reveals. Even low doses can cause…

Inter-galactic golf stunt

It was conceived as the ultimate tribute to human ingenuity and international cooperation — an orbiting space lab that would play host to some of the most talented and highly…

Brain gene that gave humans a head start

Scientists have identified perhaps the most crucial genetic region that makes us human. Comparing human DNA with that of chimpanzees and other animals, they have found the region…

Inflatable spacecraft launched

Robert Bigelow, the Las Vegas property magnate and space entrepreneur, moved a step closer to his dream of opening an orbiting space hotel on Thursday. At around lunchtime he…

Papers show Einstein’s shaky maths

To many he is the greatest scientist who ever lived, but a unique collection of Albert Einstein’s letters and papers has revealed a history of struggle and failure made worse by…