Many of the oddly shaped galaxies we observe are likely mergers, caught in the act. Mergers are likely responsible for the unusual shapes of many of the peculiar galaxies we observe. Gas in front of the light source can absorb radiation at specific wavelengths, causing a drop in the amount of light we receive (an absorption line in the spectrum), while at other wavelengths we can see an excess of light (an emission line). .
SEA SQUIRT
While sponges push water through an internal labyrinth of interconnected channels, sea squirts pump water through a distinctive, primitive phrangeal basket. A sea squirt's tunic contains a simple but elaborate nervous system that enables the animal to contract its tunic when exposed to sudden changes—either in light, chemical and temperature stimuli, or even a diver's touch.
CLASSIFICATION AND BIOLOGY
Sea squirts are able to reproduce both sexually and asexually - regardless, adult sea squirts are simpler animals than their larval offspring, a unique trait in the animal kingdom. During development, the larval tail is rapidly reabsorbed into the tunic of the developing adult sea squirt.
ANTI-CANCER DRUGS
After a few minutes, possibly in response to chemical cues produced by adult sea squirts of the same species, the larvae return to the seabed and settle head first on a suitable empty surface on the reef. Professor Mike Davies-Coleman is a marine natural products chemist and Dean of Natural Sciences at the University of the Western Cape.
GONDWANA – A SUPERCONTINENT
Imagine trying to put together a puzzle where the shape of some pieces constantly changes over time and the details in some pieces are hidden or removed. Geoffrey Grantham and Michael Knoper show us how planet Earth is an evolving global puzzle.
JIGSAW PUZZLEA GLOBAL
It is now recognized that the evolution of the Earth, since its formation ~4,600 Ma (million years) ago, has involved processes that caused the continuous formation and breakup of supercontinents.
Proterozoic felsic gneiss
RECONSTRUCTING GONDWANA AND
FELSIC GNEISS
AFRICA SPLITS FROM ANTARCTICA
PROTEROZOIC EON
Jurassic mai c dykeFEATURE
Part of the current research is studying the age, chemistry and paleomagnetic signatures of the dikes (Fig. 3). In addition, some of the rocks in the belt are made of the types of rocks that are typical of the edges of continents or the edges of continental plates. On the continent, the rocks formed by the breakup of Gondwana consist of intrusive dykes, large igneous complexes, and basaltic lavas.
Geoffrey Grantham completed his PhD studies at the University of Natal on the geology of part of the western Dronning Maud Land in 1993. After teaching for about 10 years at the University of Pretoria and for about 17 years at the Council for Geoscience he moved to the University of Johannesburg to continue research into the geological evolution of southern Africa, Antarctica and other fragments of Gondwana. When not lecturing, Mike's research focuses on the evolution of the continental crust, the formation and breakup of supercontinents through geologic time, and the origins of ore deposits.
In 1992 he went to Antarctica for the first time as a member of the South African National Antarctic Program to map the geology of the Kirwanveggen. A dolerite dike in Antarctica that intruded the surrounding Proterozoic felsic gneiss during the Jurassic period, about 190 million years ago, when Africa separated from Antarctica and drifted north.
DEFINITIONS
Much is known about these rocks on other continents, but because Antarctica is so remote and difficult to get to, there is limited information about similar rocks on that continent. If we are to compare rocks of these ages, we need to also study the rocks that are exposed on land to see about their distribution. He has had 12 fire seasons in Antarctica, as well as extensive earthworks in Namaqualand, Natal and Mozambique.
Jurassic mai c dyke
WALTER SISULU UNIVERSITY
BERNOULLI’S LAW
MORE APPLICATIONS OF THE LAW
WHY DOES A BALL CURL?
BERNOULLI’S LAW IN MATHEMATICAL FORM
ASTRONOMY
Most people would think that astronomy is 'just another scientific discipline', focused only on research and supporting or rejecting scientific theories. According to the IAU 'It is a discipline that opens our eyes, that gives context to our place in the Universe, and that can reshape how we see the world'.
KNOWLEDGE DIVIDE’
WHAT IS IT?
THE INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
Its individual members – structured in sections, commissions and working groups – are professional astronomers from around the world, at PhD level and beyond.
WHAT IS THE OAD?
REGIONAL OFFICES
ELEMENTS OF ASTRONOMY FOR DEVELOPMENT
Working Group 2 is dedicated to preschool, primary and secondary education, as well as children and youth outside the formal education system. Astronomy can also support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, both formally and informally. Task Force 3 focuses on making astronomy accessible to everyone, regardless of age, class, gender, education, etc.
CALL TO ACTION
In line with SANSA's human capacity development imperative, the OSR Laboratory will also be used by space science students nationally and internationally for research projects.
Another eye towards the sky – unveiling South Africa’s Optical
We will initially use OSR to study atmospheric gravity waves to gain greater insight into the dynamics of Earth's middle atmosphere," says Prof. SANSA will also use the laboratory to record a phenomenon called 'sprites', following its recording of the first images of sprites over Africa from Sutherland on January 11, 2016. Considering the millions of lightning strikes that occur annually, the rarity of the reported sightings is surprising.
Manger, Dr Nadine Gravett and Dr Adhil Bhagwandin from Wits worked in Botswana's Chobe National Park, along with colleagues from the NGO Elephants Without Borders, Botswana and the University of California, Los Angeles, using data loggers for small activities. scientific versions of the well-known fitness and wellbeing tracker Fitbit to study the sleep patterns of elephants in the wild. REM sleep (or dreaming) is thought to be important for consolidating memories, but our findings are not consistent with this hypothesis about the function of REM sleep, as the elephant has well-documented long-term memories but does not enter REM sleep every time need. day to form these memories,” says Manger. CT scans of fossils of the pre-mammal reptile Euchambersia show anatomical features designed for venom production.
In addition, we discovered previously undescribed teeth hidden near bones and stones: two incisors with preserved crowns and a pair of large canines, all of which had a sharp crest. In preparation for spending a month in the Midlands (a place I do not know), I reviewed several field guides and books to get a better impression of the local lora and fauna.
THE AFROMONTANE GRASSLANDS
We examined biodiversity in the Afromontane grassland biome to determine the conservation status of these habitats.
FROM FLORA TO FAUNA
MIDLANDS
AND DON’T FORGET THE BIRDS
THREATS TO DIVERSITY
JOURNEY’S END
It's not often that you create a new university from scratch: space, staff – and curriculum. But that is exactly what we are doing in Mauritius, at one of the newest higher education institutions in Africa. With this history in mind, our faculty strives for what we consider a decolonial social studies curriculum.
We have made seven commitments that will help us achieve this goal and that we hope will shift the educational discourse in a more equitable and representative direction.
SEVEN COMMITMENTS
To instill a much deeper knowledge and more sensitive awareness of context and content, we are required to assign non-textual sources of history, culture and belief: studying artefacts, music, advertising, architecture, food and more. Each week, students engage with at least one such source to care for the world around them in a more mindful way. My colleagues and I recognize that we cannot work alone and demand that our students play a central role in contributing to the University's results.
We design our curricula in such a way that students are required to create, iterate, work with feedback, apply that feedback and critically assess it. We want them to collaborate with as wide a range of other people as possible and to stretch themselves to use language and the analysis tools they learn in their training with real-world implication. To work and live within this environment, it is essential that students start contributing to discourses around Africa as early as possible.
It can take years to know how to write a publishable scientific article – but an op-ed, podcast or YouTube video is not quite so demanding. Students will learn to think and act according to the highest ethical standards and to feel comfortable in applying the same to others who work with them.
COLLABORATION
Scientists recently announced that the Rising Star Cave system has revealed even more important discoveries, just a year and a half after it was announced that the richest hominin fossil site in Africa had been discovered and that it contained a new hominin species named Homo naledi of the scientists who described it.
A RECENT SPECIES
More critically, it is precisely at this point that we see the emergence of what has been called.
THE DATING GAME
HOMO NALEDI’S SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
A NEW CHAMBER AND SKELETON
NO EASY ACCESS
MEETING HOMO NALEDI
Once described, we will look at the way forward for determining the age of these particular fossils," says Dirks. Elliot adds that the preservation and condition of the ind are practically the same as those at H. We will treat the ongoing acquisition of material from both of these spaces with extreme care and consideration, and with the full awareness that we need to preserve the material for future generations of scientists and future technological innovations," he says.
Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits, Professor Adam Habib, said: "the search for the origins of humans on the African continent began at Wits and it is wonderful to see that legacy continue with such important discoveries". Knell, president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, which funds the expeditions that discovered the fossils and determined their ages.
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