An engineering team from Wits University and the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa), have developed novel technology to turn biomass (agricultural waste) and garbage (solid municipal waste) into liquid fuel, electricity, waxes and paraffin. It is the first time that this innovative project, developed in South Africa by South Africans, has been manufactured on a small-scale to make it economical for South Africa and other developing countries.

The South African Space Agency's (Sansa's) Space Operations directorate has been selected by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) to provide tracking services for the launch of its latest Mars mission.

It was not the thought of facing the judging panel or having to answer their numerous questions that the winner of this year’s Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, Palesa Masuku, found intimidating.

Instead, it was seeing some of the projects entered by the other 724 finalists in the nationwide competition that intimidated her. She nervously wondered how her project, which introduced the use of marula fruit as an alternative energy source, would measure up against the other entries in the competition, which is touted to have been characterised by an extremely high standard of entries this year.

A dynamic programme was re-launched on Friday to help turn the tide against the growing shortage of young girls pursuing careers in the science and technology fields.

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) recognised two South African scientists with the prestigious Science-for-Society Gold Medals at its Annual Awards Ceremony held in Pretoria.

University of KwaZulu-Natal principal, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba has been elected vice-president of the International Council for Science.

A team of South African students from Wits University, in partnership with the synthetic biology research division of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, has made South Africa proud at the prestigious International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in Amsterdam.

Undersea data cable company Seacom has invested R100-million in additional infrastructure in South Africa in an effort to meet the continuous high growth in demand for broadband services and applications.

The US's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of ultra-violet light for the liquid purification of fruit juice, said SurePure on Friday, the company behind this South African invention.

South African scientists have developed an environmentally friendly method to clean highly toxic water and convert it into drinkable water. Once available commercially, the method could drastically reduce the negative impact industry has on water pollution worldwide.

The Department of Science and Technology and Microsoft South Africa have signed a memorandum of understanding that will see the two fast-tracking high-performance computing, human capital and enterprise development in the country.

A research article on the work by a team of experts at the University of the Free State (UFS), under the leadership of Prof. Esta van Heerden and counterparts in Belgium and the USA has been published in the distinguished academic journal "Nature".

Two South African pupils were awarded top prizes at an international science fair in California, digital company Intel said on Monday.

South African and Japanese seismologists are working on a project to combat earthquake risk, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said on Wednesday.

The Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), RADMASTE Centre (University of Witwatersrand) and Sasol, is launching a programme of chemical workshops and experiments for primary and high school learners on Tuesday as part of the International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC).

Eight countries have joined forces with South Africa by signing a letter of intent to see the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) built - a move that has been welcomed by Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor.

A thirty-year-old South African entrepreneur who owns a Durban-based firm, is targeting prospective African space tourists keen to travel aboard a new suborbital spaceship.

WirelessG, a local internet company, will soon begin installing wireless internet on South African domestic passenger planes to enable frequent fliers to keep up with their deadlines and the fast-paced world around them.

If knowledge is power then thousands of school aged children in rural and under-serviced areas across South Africa are running the risk of remaining powerless, with no access to the wealth of digital information available to those who have access to the internet.

A new space era has been marked by the launch of the SA National Space Agency (Sansa) and the national space strategy, the science and technology minister said on Thursday.