Drew Forrest uses one of South Africa’s most important hominid discoveries to debate the paradoxes and contradictions inherent in the religious doctrine of ‘ensoulment’
‘Three years later, the suspect is roaming outside’
Researchers compared the genetic material of tortoises living on San Cristóbal with bones and shells collected in 1906 from a cave in the island’s highlands and found them to be different
Families have asked the Congress of Traditional Leaders and the Human Rights Commission to intervene after waiting years to bury their loved ones
Jes Foord told Lyse Comins that she believes she had to get the horrific ‘degree in rape’ so that she could help thousands of sexual violence victims through her nonprofit foundation
The World Health Organisation has enlisted a team of South African researchers to produce a new mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, but with no recipe to follow, it’s not an easy task
The South African law does not make it mandatory for citizens to be vaccinated, and the same will apply for Covid-19 immunisation. But experts say people still have the responsibility not to act recklessly — and they should follow Covid-19 health protocols
Is the evidence used to convict criminals always based on sufficient facts or data? Leletu Tonisi from the Wits Justice Project examines some of the flaws in the system
As Covid vaccines near the manufacturing stage, a look at two polio vaccines provides valuable historical insights
There are 30 skeletons in the Iroungou cave, and carbon dating has shown they are from the 14th century. It is only the second cave burial site to be unearthed on the continent
Our DNA is similar but our societal values are not, which will make it difficult to reach concensus
Legislation as well as academic research governance bodies have failed to safeguard the rights of participants from Africa in genomics research.
If we take our commitment to the liberty of the individual seriously, we must accept that people should be allowed to use this technology
By embarking on this new and daunting path, we are taking on incredible new responsibility
The fertility industry and technology are raising difficult questions about race
Most biobanks, whether small or large, have high quality assurance and control measures in place
The last reported sighting was on March 26 this year by a US couple standing on the ramparts of the ruin of Urquhart Castle
That nagging fear may cause you to fall apart, but it may also serve as a call to action
Let us entertain the notion — if only for a moment — that cephalopods may be from space. How would we go about testing the hypothesis?
DNA studies reveal that African elephants belong to a very successful and widespread family
Modern humans have been around a lot longer than was previously thought
Almost one third of the food we eat comes from animal pollination, but understanding the plants and pollinators relationship isn’t straightforward.
We have the technology to edit the human genome, cut out parts of it and insert preprogrammed bits of replacement genome.
Alondra Nelson, the author of The Social Life of DNA, says her book has a powerful social and political role to play.
Scientists are finding that various parts of the human body wind down at different rates, writes Ian Sample.
Intolerance for prescribed medication has been a common and sometimes deadly issue that genetic testing can solve, but privacy issues are a concern.
DNA is really just software, says J Craig Venter, the world’s most famous genetic scientist, writes <b>Alistair Fairweather</b>.
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/ 24 November 2009
Britain has built the world’s biggest DNA database without proper political debate, a genetics watchdog said in a report on Tuesday.
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/ 20 November 2009
Jo-Ann Bekker talks to lion man turned elephant man Gareth Patterson, who claims that there are nine Kynsna elephants.
Police could one day predict the surname of male suspects or victims of crime from DNA alone, British researchers said on Wednesday.
Strands of DNA recovered from the fossilised leg bone of a Neanderthal have shed light on the fragility of this ancient hominid species.
University of Johannesburg scientists have started creating a database of DNA information from the world’s tree species.