SA's MeerKAT telescope joins forces with European VLBI Network
FILE: Part of the ensemble of dishes forming South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope is seen in Carnarvon on July 16, 2016. Picture: Mujahid Safodien/ AFP
South Africa's MeerKAT telescope has joined forces with the European VLBI Network (EVN), one of the world's most sensitive and advanced very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) systems.
Their partnership sets a new standard for global collaboration and significantly enhances both resolution and sensitivity, opening new avenues for scientific exploration and a new era of radio astronomy.
Space exploration
It is also a new chapter for high-resolution radio astronomy, enabling scientists to study the universe in greater detail than ever before.
The collaboration has already delivered impressive results, with EVN researchers capturing enhanced images of energetic plasma jets from the supermassive black hole J0123+3044.
This sets the stage for a new wave of scientific breakthroughs in understanding cosmic phenomena.
'Proud moment'
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Blade Nzimande said the achievement is a proud moment for South African science and a powerful demonstration of what international collaboration can accomplish.
'Integrating MeerKAT into the EVN marks a giant leap for precision radio astronomy and lays vital groundwork for the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA)-VLBI era'.
The Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE), headquartered in the Netherlands, coordinated the EVN's participation and played a central role in data processing and image development, working closely with the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory's (SARAO) engineering and science teams to ensure the mission's success.
ALSO READ: Anyone out there? Astronomers find signs of life on distant planet
Universe exploration
Reflecting on MeerKAT's remarkable capabilities and its collaborative observations with the EVN, SARAO Managing Director Pontsho Maruping said the telescope has been highly successful in its mission to explore the radio sky with unprecedented detail, capturing images of some of the universe's largest-scale structures.
'At the same time, we strongly emphasise collaborating with other instruments as we continue to develop MeerKAT's scientific capabilities before its eventual integration into the SKA-Mid telescope'.
'Great achievement'
Jive Council Chair Jessica Dempsey applauded the 'great' achievement by the SARAO team.
'This collaboration not only showcases the power of international partnerships in radio astronomy but also paves the way for transformative scientific discoveries through cutting-edge technological innovation.'
The achievement is not just a technological milestone; it is also a powerful example of global scientific unity, with South Africa proudly at the forefront of the world's expanding window on the universe.
ALSO READ: SA takes giant leap with Prime telescope to enhance exoplanet discovery [VIDEO]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
AI robots fill in for weed killers and farm hands
LOS ANGELES - Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds. As farms across the United States face a shortage of labourers and weeds grow resistant to herbicides, startup Aigen says its robotic solution -- named Element -- can save farmers money, help the environment and keep harmful chemicals out of food. "I really believe this is the biggest thing we can do to improve human health," co-founder and chief technology officer Richard Wurden told AFP, as robots made their way through crops at Bowles Farm in the town of Los Banos. "Everybody's eating food sprayed with chemicals." Wurden, a mechanical engineer who spent five years at Tesla, went to work on the robot after relatives who farm in Minnesota told him weeding was a costly bane. Weeds are becoming immune to herbicides, but a shortage of laborers often leaves chemicals as the only viable option, according to Wurden. "No farmer that we've ever talked to said 'I'm in love with chemicals'," added Aigen co-founder and chief executive Kenny Lee, whose background is in software. "They use it because it's a tool -- we're trying to create an alternative." Element the robot resembles a large table on wheels, solar panels on top. Metal arms equipped with small blades reach down to hoe between crop plants. "It actually mimics how humans work," Lee said as the temperature hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) under a cloudless sky. "When the sun goes down, it just powers down and goes to sleep; then in the morning it comes back up and starts going again." AFP | Josh Edelson The robot's AI system takes in data from on-board cameras, allowing it to follow crop rows and identify weeds. "If you think this is a job that we want humans doing, just spend two hours in the field weeding," Wurden said. Aigen's vision is for workers who once toiled in the heat to be "upskilled" to monitor and troubleshoot robots. Along with the on-board AI, robots communicate wirelessly with small control centres, notifying handlers of mishaps. - Future giant? - Aigen has robots running in tomato, cotton, and sugar beet fields, and touts the technology's ability to weed without damaging the crops. Lee estimated that it takes about five robots to weed 65 hectares of farm. AFP | Josh Edelson The robots made by the 25-person startup -- based in the city of Redmond, outside Seattle -- are priced at $50,000. The company is focused on winning over politically conservative farmers with a climate-friendly option that relies on the sun instead of costly diesel fuel that powers heavy machinery. "Climate, the word, has become politicized but when you get really down to brass tacks farmers care about their land," Lee said. The technology caught the attention of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the e-commerce giant's cloud computing unit. Aigen was chosen for AWS's "Compute for Climate" fellowship program that provides AI tools, data center power, and technical help for startups tackling environmental woes. "Aigen is going to be one of the industry giants in the future," said AWS head of climate tech startups business development Lisbeth Kaufman. "I think about Ford and the Model T, or Edison and the light bulb -- that's Kenny and Rich and Aigen."
IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
How mathematics education deficiencies threaten South Africa's economic future
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube. Image: File At least 50% of South Africa's matric pupils need to pass Grade 12 with pure mathematics to provide relevant skills to boost the economy, according to experts. This is largely because economic growth is now happening in the tertiary sector, which requires specialised skills, especially mathematics. However, the Department of Basic Education recently revealed that 464 schools do not offer mathematics as a subject in the country, due to resource constraints and teacher shortages. The most affected province is KwaZulu-Natal with 135 schools. The Eastern Cape has 84 schools, Limpopo has 78 schools, the Western Cape has 61 schools, the North West has 31 schools, Gauteng has 31 schools, the Northern Cape has 19 schools, the Free State has 14 schools, and Mpumalanga has 11 schools. Over the years, the department has experienced budget cuts. Experts argue that South Africa needs to improve its Basic Education if it wants to grow skills that will enable the country to compete globally. Dawie Roodt, chief economist at Efficient Group, said current economic activities are based in the service industry, which is driven by skills and new technology that require mathematics. 'Big companies such as Meta, Google, Tesla, and Microsoft are based on new technology. And they are currently employing mostly programmers and experts in artificial intelligence (AI). If you want to be a programmer or an expert in artificial intelligence, there is one requirement: you must be good at mathematics,' Roodt stated. He added that in the South African economy as well, growth happens in the tertiary sector. However, in primary industries such as agriculture, it happens to a much lesser extent. Agriculture is now also becoming a service industry. Highlighting how sectors were switching to new technology, he said cars now are fixed by guys who plug in a computer to analyse the problem, and that is based on mathematics. Even a language model on ChatGPT is based on an algorithm, which uses mathematics, he said. 'You need a heavy dose of mathematics in all economic activities in order to grow the economy in a way that modern economies are supposed to. If you don't have good mathematics experts in your economy, it is just not going to perform well,' Roodt said. What are the prospects for pupils who are not learning mathematics as a subject? Roodt said not all is lost for these pupils. All they have to do is learn to be good at using technology (AI tools) in whatever field they are in, because this, while effective, does not require one to be good at mathematics. 'But you must have somebody else who knows mathematics to write the application for you to use the technology,' he added. Everyone, including those who excel in mathematics, has to stay on top of whatever the newest, most recent developments are, he said. 'You have to keep on sharpening up your skills. So, don't think for one single moment that you are going to learn something, get a qualification, and then stop learning. You have to learn for the rest of your life. And it doesn't end in all careers,' Rood said. He clarified that this does not mean that everybody must be a mathematician. 'If I had the power, as a minister of Basic Education, I would put all sorts of incentives in place to encourage teachers to improve their skills development. And then start paying those with better skills and better outcomes more than those without the necessary skills and the necessary outcomes. Then, I would start working out those teachers who are not doing their jobs. 'Teaching is a calling and is crucial for any economy. Many good teachers in South Africa are doing an excellent job. Unfortunately, that is not most of them,' Roodt said. He added that there are two things that one needs to teach a child. One is mathematics, and the other is a love for reading. And when a child loves reading and does read, they will be able to learn all other things on their own. Professor William Gumede from the Wits School of Governance said the government must improve the basic education system to avoid setting up learners for failure. 'All countries whose economies are performing well in the tertiary sector have more than 50% of their matriculants passing with mathematics,' he said. Elijah Mhlanga, spokesperson for the Department of Basic Education, stated that to support early mathematics development, the department is reviewing the Post Provisioning Norms to ensure smaller Foundation Phase class sizes and prioritisation of teaching posts that enhance numeracy development, addressing inefficiencies in current post distribution. 'The DBE has advised that learners, in consultation with their parents and schools, are required to select subject streams in Grade 10 that align with their interests and prospective career paths. While Mathematics remains a high-priority subject, schools, particularly smaller ones, may not have sufficient resources or demand to offer both mathematics and mathematical literacy. 'Additionally, some schools face challenges such as limited enrolment in the mathematics stream, making it unviable to run a full class; a shortage of qualified mathematics teachers; and budgetary or timetabling constraints that limit subject offerings,' Mhlanga said.
SowetanLIVE
4 days ago
- SowetanLIVE
SA student startup advances in $1m global Hult Prize competition
Urobo Biotech, a student-led South African startup using biotechnology to tackle plastic pollution, has been named one of the top 60 teams in the Hult Prize, a prestigious international competition offering $1m in seed funding to the world's most promising social enterprises. Run by the Hult Prize Foundation in partnership with Hult International Business School, the competition challenges university students to launch ventures that address urgent global issues. The announcement comes after a breakthrough year for the Hult Prize SA National Programme. In 2025, the initiative reached more than 25 higher education institutions with over 400 student startups participating, each tackling social or environmental challenges through entrepreneurship. The national momentum culminated in the first-ever Hult Prize SA National Showcase held on May 7 in Johannesburg. The event featured 22 top ventures from across the country, selected through campus-level competitions. Urubo Biotech placed second at the showcase. The venture impressed judges with its innovative biotech solution that uses enzymes and microbes to convert bioplastic waste into high-value fuels and chemicals.
