Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Scientists have created a tiny new sensor that can continuously monitor levels of alcohol in the blood. The device, which measures roughly one cubic millimeter, is injected beneath the skin and can be linked up to a smartphone. Alcohol levels in the blood can …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Shs18billion needed to recruit science teachers
THIS WEEK: Shs18billion needed to recruit science teachers Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni has appealed to the parliamentary committee on education to help her ministry secure Shs18billion to recruit 2000 teachers for science subjects in secondary schools. Janet, also the First Lady …
Read More »Japan to trial ‘world’s first urine test’ to spot cancer
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A Japanese firm is poised to carry out what it hailed as the world’s first experiment to test for cancer using urine samples, which would greatly facilitate screening for the deadly disease. Engineering and IT conglomerate Hitachi developed the basic technology to detect breast or …
Read More »Stars turn out for Stephen Hawking’s funeral
Cambridge, United Kingdom | AFP | Film stars, supermodels, comics and astronomers joined Stephen Hawking’s family and friends for his funeral in Cambridge Saturday, the city where he dedicated his life’s work to unravelling the mysteries of the universe. The theoretical physicist who captured the imagination of millions around the …
Read More »Young blood: Is it magic or medicine?
Kampala, Uganda | DAVID IRVING | Ben Franklin famously wrote: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. What he didn’t mention, despite being 83 years old, was a third, almost inevitable eventuality: ageing. Depending on when in history and where on the planet you …
Read More »World mourns British scientist and cultural icon Hawking
London, United Kingdom | AFP | World dignitaries, celebrities and academics on Wednesday mourned Stephen Hawking, the British physicist who died aged 76 after a cosmic career in which his mental genius transcended his physical disability to probe the secrets of the universe. Propelled to stardom by his 1988 book “A …
Read More »Stephen Hawking, British scientist who became cultural icon, dies at 76
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, his family said Wednesday. Propelled to superstardom by his 1988 book “A Brief History of Time”, which became …
Read More »Failing science exams
Could English language be the problem? Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | The search for solutions to the declining uptake and rising failure rate of the three core science subjects and mathematics at secondary school exam level has until now focused mainly on the lack of adequate preparation and lack of …
Read More »Today’s elephants don’t interbreed like ancient species
Miami, United States | AFP | Ancient species of elephants and mammoths interbred, swapping genes that helped them adapt to new habitats and climates, a practice that is lost among modern-day elephants, researchers said Monday. Today, the two kinds of living elephants in Africa — savanna and forest elephants — are …
Read More »GLOBAL COMMENT: Tackling science’s gender-parity
At the youngest age in elementary school, girls should be encouraged to study math and science COMMENT | THE INDEPENDENT | Two years ago, the United Nations designated February 11 the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. As the 2018 commemoration approached, it was worth reflecting on female scholars’ …
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