📢The submission deadline for Commentaries for a Discussion Series on hidden contributors to research is closing soon, 30 June. Don’t miss your opportunity to contribute to the discussion. More info: buff.ly/vGfTePD

📢 Don’t forget to register to attend the workshop 'Navigating the scholarly publishing landscape in 2026' next week. We look forward to seeing you there!

Krige reviews ‘Clawing Back’: Drawing on extensive engagement, James offers a nuanced ethnography and a significant intervention in contemporary debates on economic and social justice. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Boughey reviews ‘Decolonial Options in Higher Education’: A fascinating opportunity to engage with authors about their work as a good many of the talks reflect on what has previously been published or said. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

The life and legacy of Professor Roseanne Denise Diab (1949–2026): Environmental scientist, institution builder and champion of women in science. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Wholesale clearing of Lesotho mountain shrubs for grazing risks erosion, water loss and biodiversity decline in the Maloti-Drakensberg. doi.org/10.17159/saj... #SDG12 #SDG15

Abiye presents the Johannesburg Local Meteoric Water Line based on decadal rainfall stable isotope data. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

We know who cites research. But do we know who funds it? 💰 Today, the Barcelona Declaration WG on Funding Metadata is publishing 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚: 𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and a companion background document. 🔗 barcelona-declaration.org/news/2026052...

Pouris provides a critical retrospective on South Africa’s evolving National System of Innovation, situating its trajectory within global debates on science and development. doi.org/10.17159/saj... #SDG4 #SDG9

A human femur and tibia were recovered from Border Cave in South Africa in 1941–1942 but were subsequently lost. The bones present an interesting set of metrical contrasts. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Nxumalo & Mathipa-Mdakane show how understanding the specific research productivity patterns of historically disadvantaged institutions is critical for making investments where they are most needed. doi.org/10.17159/saj... #SDG

Some of ecology’s biggest lessons take decades to emerge. Long-term grassland fire and nutrient addition experiments in South Africa reveal hidden ecosystem shifts that short studies cannot detect. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Tucker and Lana report on testing of a novel methodology of a non-traditional deep-time geochronometer to age date continental sedimentary successions and co-occurring fossil assemblages. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

While we consider sunny South Africa to be ideal for tourism, indices for beach and urban tourism reveal greater nuance in climatic suitability. doi.org/10.17159/saj... #SDG13

AI is already part of everyday research practice. The question for journals is therefore no longer whether AI will be used, but how its use should be governed in ways that protect transparency, accountability and fairness. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Van Tol & Kotze’s study demonstrates the value of coupling hydrological and slope stability models to predict rainfall-induced landslides in South Africa’s high-risk catchments. doi.org/10.17159/saj... #SDG6 #SDG13 #SDG15

Can digital tools help Africa's smallholder farmers tackle climate risks? Dudu et al.’s review exposes the gaps and calls for stronger research partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa. doi.org/10.17159/saj... #SDG1 #SDG2 #SDG9

The WEF Global Risks Report 2026 warns us that the struggles of the poor and vulnerable remain invisible to global elites, reminding us that security for all requires changes in power relations. doi.org/10.17159/saj... #SDG16 #SDG17

Ndaleni et al. call for the revision of fish common and scientific names that carry offensive connotations, as an important step toward fostering respect, inclusivity and cultural sensitivity in scientific practice. doi.org/10.17159/saj... #SDG10

The May/June issue is live, with a good selection of reviews, commentaries and original research…climate-resilient agriculture, research productivity in HDIs and missing bones from Border Cave… sajs.co.za/en/issue/vie...

Early career researchers are invited to attend the workshop 'Navigating the scholarly publishing landscape in 2026'. Look forward to seeing you there! 🗓 Date: 19 June 2026 ⏰ Time: 10:00–13:00 SAST 📍 Venue: Zoom / YouTube 📋 Programme & registration: buff.ly/QRwtQSA

REMINDER: Do not miss your chance to be part of the discussion. The submission deadline for a Discussion Series on decolonisation and Africanisation in science is approaching, please submit by 01 June.

📢 There is still time to join the discussion on hidden contributors to research. The submission deadline for the discussion series has been extended to 30 June 2026. Don’t miss the opportunity to contribute to this important topic. More info here: buff.ly/jVi9bjq

REMINDER: Do not miss your chance to be part of the discussion. The submission deadline for a Discussion Series on hidden contributors to research is approaching, please submit by 30 April.

Hofmeyr reviews ‘Johannesburg from the Riverbanks’: This collection offers a rich set of methods and approaches for understanding rivers in a multi-scalar way. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Phalafala reviews ‘Guerrillas and Combative Mothers’: Magadla’s work invites us to deepen the politics and poetics of care, of tending as methodology, into scholarship. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Dowling reviews ‘Ulibambe Lingashoni!’: This book fills an important gap in SA historiography, as it brings to light a rare chronicle of the lives of Zulu people during more than a century of South Africa’s turbulent history. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Rontsch reviews ‘Johnny Clegg: Critical Reflections on his Music and Influence’: An important piece of scholarship. This book includes not only the voices of scholars, but also those of Clegg’s friends and musical compatriots. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Dan J. Stein (1962–2025) was a towering global scholar, collaborator, colleague, mentor and friend. He will continue to be with us through his pioneering work, the people he mentored, and the countless lives he touched. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

This study provides a contextual analysis of Engaged Research in SA, highlighting areas that are of unique value in the SA context & reinforcing the relevance of community-based participatory research in an African context. #SDG4 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

This study introduces a novel method that employs an algorithm that mimics the behaviour of whales to create a model for predicting the settling of soft soil subgrade to ensure highway safety. #SDG9 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

This study explores how environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings drive corporate green innovation in South Africa. #SDG9 #SDG12 #SDG13 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

The findings of this study provide insights into optimal climate conditions for the sustainable production of vitamin E in higher plants. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

An interdisciplinary conversation among experts on sexual and reproductive health care on how health research is produced, offering researchers and activists opportunities to consider knowledge from different research traditions. #SDG10 #SDG13 #SDG16 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

When engineering and arachnology meet... The structure and aerodynamics of the slingshot spider and its web are studied using classical results first developed in the 19th century in connection with the drag on clock pendula. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

South African Tier 2 carbon dioxide emission factors for solid fuel use are reported for the first time, as required by South Africa’s commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Climate Agreement. #SDG13 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

AI and statistics are combined to better predict extreme oil price changes, improving how financial risk is measured and managed. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Physical Education should not be a marginal subject. To support healthier learners and more equitable education systems in South Africa, renewed policy attention, teacher development and cross-sector partnerships are essential. #SDG3 #SDG4 #SDG10 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Sterkfontein’s technicians have played a crucial role in revealing South Africa’s unique and long-standing contribution to human origins research and they remain essential to the team’s diverse research and science communication programmes. doi.org/10.17159/saj...

Public trust in scientists in SA is relatively high, but there are concerns regarding transparency, ethical accountability and the equitable distribution of the benefits of science. #SDG10 #SDG16 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

7 in 10 SA scientists are multilingual – using those languages could bring science to life for everyone. #SDG3 #SDG4 #SDG5 #SDG8 #SDG10

This study on water temperatures in the Olifants River shows an increase of 3.7°C by 2100, illustrating the global crisis of rising water temperatures that threatens freshwater ecosystems and local species with extinction. #SDG6 #SDG13 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

The growing global burden of mental health conditions requires a scientific population-based approach to policy and practice. This commentary introduces the nascent field of public mental health, its methods and aspirations. #SDG1 #SDG2 #SDG3 #SDG4 #SDG5 #SDG6 #SDG7 #SDG8 doi.org/10.17159/saj...

The March/April issue is live…Public mental health, public trust in scientists, multilingual SciComm, corporate green innovation, energy price forecasting, and many more interesting reads. sajs.co.za/issue/view/1...

📢 Call for papers for a special issue: Employment and work in South Africa’s just transition Submission of Abstracts to Guest Editors – 17 April 2026 Submission of full papers to SAJS – 31 July 2026 For more information, please visit: buff.ly/ImFpnkw

The SAJS Outstanding Reviewer Award for 2025, was awarded to Dr Michele Toucher. Congratulations! Visit this page to view all nominees and learn more about the awards: sajs.co.za/annual-awards

The SAJS Outstanding Article Award for 2025, was awarded to Madupe et al. for their article ‘Results from an Australopithecus africanus dental enamel fragment confirm the potential of palaeoproteomics for South African Plio-Pleistocene fossil sites’ doi.org/10.17159/saj....

📢 Call for Commentaries for a Discussion Series that seeks to provide a platform for critical conversations about Africanising and/or decolonising methodologies across the sciences as broadly understood. Submission deadline: 01 June 2026 More information: buff.ly/2U8lZwV

📢 We invite Commentaries for a Discussion Series on hidden contributors to research. Submission deadline: 30 April 2026 More information: buff.ly/vGfTePD

🔔 Herewith a reminder that submission of abstracts for this Special Issue on ‘The human diversity dilemma: Navigating the intersection of microbiomes, ethics and society in Africa’ will be closing on Monday, don’t miss the opportunity to contribute!