Science + Technology - The Deeping

Feb 18, 2025

The fossil skull that rocked the world – 100 years later scientists are grappling with the Taung find’s complex colonial legacy

Rebecca Ackermann, University of Cape Town; Lauren Schroeder, University of Toronto, and Robyn Pickering, University of Cape Town Here’s how the story of the Taung Child is usually told: In 1924 an Australian anthropologist and anatomist, Raymond Dart, acquired a block of calcified sediment from a limestone quarry in South Africa. He painstakingly

Feb 17, 2025

Do Europeans trust science? New survey says “yes, but”

A large majority of Europeans believe in the benefits of science, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey on “European citizens’ knowledge and attitudes towards science and technology”. They want to see those benefits more equitably distributed and are cautious about any potential negative impacts of science. In the survey, conducted in 27 EU Member States,

Feb 7, 2025

A Critical Deficit

Flawed thinking can lead us into a lifetime of pointless arguments and bad decisions. Fixing the problem won’t be easy — but we know how to do it. By Frederic Bertley This essay accompanies a separate interview with Frederic Bertley, in which he discusses his strategies for science communication with OpenMind co-editor Corey

Feb 6, 2025

DeepSeek, Nvidia and the AI race that’s shaping the future

Ph. Koshiro K/Shutterstock Daniele D’Alvia, Queen Mary University of London The AI revolution is well under way and two companies – DeepSeek and Nvidia – stand out among those competing to lead it. Outside the financial world, the story might seem distant – but it really does have consequences for everyone. It comes

Feb 3, 2025

Space researchers build traffic light system to warn of dangerous solar storms

Yuri Shprits, a space scientist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, is on a mission to save our planet. We have known for a long time that much of our modern way of life is threatened by the whims of the Sun. If our star suddenly enters a more active

Jan 30, 2025

From trade fair to advanced surgery: the research project that pioneered 3D printing in medicine

In 1990, Fried Vancraen visited a German trade show and was captivated by a 3D printer displayed there – so much so that he bought one for his new company, Materialise. Two years later, with the help of EU funding, he took his small Belgian start-up on a journey that would change the

Jan 27, 2025

Researchers combine citizens’ help and cutting-edge tech to track biodiversity

In 1998, in a small park in Zurich, Switzerland, one bug woke up in a new world. The bricks on the roof of a local garden, imported from China, had brought with them a hidden guest: a brown marmorated stink bug. Fast forward to 2024, and the species – Halyomorpha halys – has

Jan 8, 2025

Epic Earth Chronicles: The Dynamic Forces Sculpting Our World

The Earth, as we perceive it today, owes its astonishing and ever-evolving terrain to the unceasing ballet of tectonic dynamics that sculpt its visage. These colossal mechanisms, orchestrated by the planet’s inner furnace and gravitational orchestration, serve as the bedrock of geological study. From soaring alpine chains to abyssal oceanic chasms, each geological

Jan 1, 2025

New data from ‘the last ice area’ may help long-term conservation efforts in the Arctic

Mathieu Ardyna, Université Laval and Juliette Provencher, Université Laval Earlier this year our international team of scientists from the Refuge Arctic consortium departed Iqaluit, Nvt. on a 56-day research expedition in the far north. We were sailing aboard the icebreaker CCGS Amundsen and our main objective was to study the high latitudes of

Dec 31, 2024

Smarter, greener, better – redefining the future of machine power

Machines have always fascinated Dr Didem Gürdür Broo, a computer scientist from Cyprus with a PhD in mechatronics. It was a childhood dream of hers to learn to code and build things. So, as soon as she was old enough, she decided to enter the field of computer science. As her studies advanced,

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