Sky's the Limit

"The list of industries in which aviation drones are crucial tools is ever expanding. Drones are the now, and the future, and the ability to operate one is key. We spoke to drone pilot Oliver Lane from Darkwing Aerials, to gain an insider’s perspective of this burgeoning occupation."

Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI

"Biltong, boerewors, Golf GTI. These are words South Africans learn, from a really young age."

After 500 Years, a Mathematical Principle Has Unlocked Leonardo Da Vinci's Human Heart Mystery

Researchers finally understand the function of a heart feature first described by Leonardo da Vinci 500 years ago. To find the answer, scientists used fractal theory, MRIs, and a lot of computational elbow grease to shed light on muscular structures called trabeculae. Their study, published in Nature, found that this branching, lacy muscle layer plays a part in identifying a patient’s risk of heart disease.

While serving time, this inmate became a maths whizz

This inmate used his solitary confinement to learn maths. Now he’s solving the world’s hardest equations.

Elon Musk says settlers will likely die on Mars. He's right.

When Elon Musk said there’s a ‘good chance’ the first settlers on the Red Planet will die there, at an August 2020 conference, the outcome was easy to imagine. It’s a dangerous place, after all. But that obscures the ultimate goal of any colony: to have people comfortably die on Mars after a long life of work and play that, we hope, looks at least a little like life on Earth.

Can Science Cure Death?

It sure looks like it.

Antarctic legacy

Arduous expeditions, impossible odds, unspeakable conditions… Delve into the life of British explorer Ernest Shackleton, as told by another accomplished polar adventurer.

The dawn of wireless electricity is finally upon us. This is how New Zealand will do it.

Picture the street outside your home. Now erase the power lines. Imagine national highways without the unsightly cable towers that dot the expansive landscape. This could be the wireless future of energy if a partnership between New Zealand’s government and a start-up called Emrod works out – and it all dates back to the wildest dreams of Nikola Tesla.

So you think you know 2+2? Try again.

ON PAPER, IT’S ONE OF THE SIMPLEST maths problems in the world: 2+2. If you’re counting something, such as screws at the hardware store, it’s pretty straightforward. But the lines blur in other contexts. If you add two cups of vinegar to two cups of baking soda, and the reaction produces five cups of a fizzy mess, does that mean 2+2=5?

The US Air Force secretly designed, built, and flew a new fighter jet – in just one year

IN SEPTEMBER 2020, THE US AIR FORCE REVEALED IT HAD produced a full-scale prototype jet in a staggeringly short period of time. While this process traditionally takes as long as a decade, the service appears to have created and tested the plane in the span of a year. Will Roper, the Air Force’s head of acquisition, told Defense News the branch ‘broke records’ flying the fighter, and said it’s ready to build the aircraft ‘in a way that has never happened before.’ The surprise reveal of the plane’s rapid development is shrouded in mystery. But we can parse the clues.

Toyota Land Cruiser 300

FEW OFF-ROAD contenders withstand reputational scrutiny quite like the Toyota Land Cruiser. Its reputation has been hard-earned over several decades, and literally millions upon millions of kilometres on the most arduous terrain imaginable.

You've been conditioned to believe conspiracy theories. Or have you?!

A smart conspiracy theorist never wears a tinfoil hat. According to research by Massachusetts Institute of Technology students in 2005, tinfoil can actually amplify mobile communication and satellite frequencies, including those used by the Federal Communication Commission.

How to use your 4WD system

WITH CROSSOVERS AND SUVS supplanting sedans as the default choice for everyday transportation, it’s common for any given vehicle to sport four or all-wheel drive (4WD and AWD).

Science confirms Plato's Theory: Earth is made of cubes

WHAT WOULD YOU get if you smashed the Earth into little bits? To answer that question, scientists from the US and Hungary ran a series of simulations illustrating the ways that rock fractures.

Ford Ranger FX4

WHY DO South Africans love bakkies, and double-cabs specifically? They’re practical for hauling things, sure, but I suspect that’s not the main reason people buy them. I think it’s because they look good.

JAGUAR F-PACE SVR

A FASTER, more dynamic, and highly refined Jaguar F-PACE SVR recently debuted in South Africa. Positioned at the pinnacle of the brand’s performance SUV range, it boasts a compendium of premium enhancements from Jaguar’s SV team.

The F-15EX is a worthy remix of a classic American fighter

THE US AIR FORCE has officially gone back to the future, placing an order in July last year for eight F-15EX fighters.

Land Rover Defender 90 D240 S

WE REVIEWED the new Defender 110 in our June/ July issue, and since then the short-wheelbase ‘90’ has been launched in South Africa.

Two mathematicians just solved a century-old geometry problem

IN 1911, GERMAN MATHEMATICIAN Otto Toeplitz first posed the inscribed square problem, predicting that ‘any closed curve contains four points that can be connected to form a square.’

The race to make cell-grown meats mainstream

ON 5 AUGUST 2013, CHEF RICHARD McGeown was in London, preparing to film a cooking segment on British television.

THE FUTURE OF FARMING IS INSIDE THIS BOMB SHELTER

DEEP BENEATH THE STREETS OF LONDON, in a complex of bomb shelters left abandoned since the Second World War, something is growing.

‘Mad Mike' Hughes Rejected Science And Chased Fame. It Killed Him.

The Mojave Desert had cast its spell over ‘Mad Mike’ Hughes the night he thought to fly to the edge of space.

Gear & Gadgets

Must-have hardware for humans on the go

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

BMW believes its new F 900 XR is more than a super commuter. Challenge accepted – we took the high road and put it to the touring test.

The World's First Fusion Reactor Is (Almost) Ready To Turn On

Nuclear fusion has been ‘right around the corner’ for decades. But now, that long-promised future is quickly approaching.

How Hollywood Set Designers Hid America's Wwii Aircraft Factories

As the sun rose over the horizon, a Japanese aviator worked to get his bearings above enemy territory. Anti-aircraft shells rocked his floatplane bomber as he looked for his target, a giant aircraft factory. The imposing building and expansive runways should be unmistakable, but there were only houses below.

The Right (Fes)tool For The Job

A Festool plunge-cut saw is a versatile addition to your workshop. Add ‘cordless’ to the equation, as well as Festool’s rail system, and you have a highly capable all-rounder that’s suited to a range of cutting applications.

Could A Cosmic Lasso Divert Extinction-Level Asteroids?

IN 2013, A METEOR EXPLODED 22.5 KM (14 MILES) above Chelyabinsk, Russia, knocking out windows across 500 km2 and injuring more than 1 600 people. It was a wake-up call for astronomers to help defend Earth from more potentially hazardous asteroids.

These Tiny Reactors Can Save Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy's reputation is on the edge of meltdown

Headphones That Turn Down The Volume On Excess Noise

Amar bose was frustrated. It was 1978, and he’d planned to kill some of the time on his 6000 km flight from Zurich to Boston by listening to music through some new, foam-covered (read: flimsy) headphones that Swissair supplied to the passengers. His enjoyment was foiled by the drone of the engines, which overpowered the lightweight headset.