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Microdosing is the practice of taking reduced or small doses of psychedelic drugs primarily for mental health and well-being purposes, as well as for increased productivity and occasionally for more recreational purposes. In recent years, the focus has moved from utilising psychedelics on a purely recreational basis, to the potential benefits that psychedelics may have in aiding mental illness. “Taking microdoses of a psychedelic drug means taking only a fraction of a dose that is required to have a full-blown psychedelic experience, or “trip.” (Medical News Today). The most recent studies that have emerged in the last year have indicated that certain compounds found in psychedelics such as the psilocybin which is […]

Chernobyl, arguably one of the most contaminated places on the planet, is set to become a budding hot spot for tourists. In an announcement made earlier this year by Ukraine’s current president -President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of the importance of changing the way in which Chernobyl is viewed, and granting it “new life” by doing so. “We must give this territory of Ukraine a new life, until now, Chernobyl was a negative part of Ukraine’s brand. It’s time to change it (2019).” Chernobyl has experienced a noticeable spike in tourism since the debut of the popular HBO series of the same name that was released earlier this year. While […]

The Amazon is burning, and not for the first time. At this very moment there are an estimated 93,000 fires burning in the Brazilian Amazon. This is a significant increase, a 60% increase in fact from those recorded at the same time last year. It is also the highest number of active fires recorded in the Amazon since 2010 (National Geographic, 2019). According to the Global Fire Data Organisation, the Amazon’s fire season which affects mainly the southern Amazon region, runs from June to November, with its “peak burning activity in September along the eastern and southern Amazon forest frontiers, a swath sometimes referred to as the “arc of deforestation” (Global Fire Data.Org 2019). […]

In the wake of what has been a horrendously ironic, eye opening and devastating Women’s Month in South Africa, the country has been left reeling after a scourge in gender based violence. The month of August in South Africa is meant to be one used to celebrate the women in our country, but instead as the statistics and continuous stream of news just this month alone has shown, has been used to decimate them instead. Uyinene Mrwetyana, Janika Mallo, Meghan Cremer, Jesse Hess and Leighandre “Baby Lee” Jegels are just a few of the names to populate the local and international news in the past month – and the country has […]

Have you ever wondered why you might be covered in mosquito bites, but the person next to you remains untouched? Why do some people get bitten more than others, is it purely coincidence and chance, or is there something more behind the bite?

Well, as it turns out – there may be a more scientific reasoning behind a person’s propensity to be bitten by mosquitoes. It is very likely that if you are the ‘chosen’ one in your family or friendship group – then you are being particularly targeted by the female mosquito. The female mosquito is responsible for drinking blood, and as it turns out “are attracted to some humans more […]

A new dinosaur species has been discovered in the vaults as part of a 30 year old fossil exhibition at the University of the Witwatersrand. The fossil in question is not a new discovery, as far as fossils go, and has been a part of an exhibition at the University’s Evolutionary Studies Institute after it was originally found in 1978 at a farm in Fouriesburg in the Free State. However, only recently has it come to light that the fossil was actually misidentified as it was initially thought to be a specimen of Massospondylus. Massospondylus was an omnivorous dinosaur that existed during the early Jurassic period (approximately 204 – 208 […]

The mobile Apps that we have come to know, love, and utilise on a daily basis may be getting a somewhat slightly controversial facelift soon. It is a well-known fact that both Instagram and WhatsApp are owned by Facebook. WhatsApp was acquired by the company in February 2014 in what was deemed a ‘landmark’ $19 billion deal, and only a mere five years after it was started by Jan Koum and Brian Acton. WhatsApp is the world’s most utilised messaging service with approximately 600 million users globally (Forbes, 2014). At the time of acquisition, WhatsApp made its money by charging users a $1 annual subscription fee in countries that implement data […]

The Indigo Wellness Index tracks and determines the health status of the world’s countries by using a metric of ten key measures. The Index covers over 150 countries across the world and is considered to be one of the most comprehensive of its kind, by drawing on data supplied from a diverse range of sources including the World Health Organisation, public health data and the World Happiness Report (Global Perspectives Infographics). The ten key metrics that form the focus of The Index are as follows: “Blood pressure, Blood glucose, obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, exercise, healthy life expectancy, and government spending on healthcare” (The Indigo Wellness Index). […]

Many people start their morning routine unthinkingly with a cup of coffee, to most – it is deemed an essential (sometimes crucial) aspect of the morning ritual. Coffee has become synonymous with waking us up, increased energy-levels and productivity. We rely on its caffeine content to keep us going when all else fails. For the connoisseurs and aficionados, a cup of coffee is not just a morning necessity but rather an exercise in single origin or ground coffee bean appreciation, a sensory experience and often a labour of love, as most true coffee connoisseurs utilise coffee grinders, specialised or bespoke coffee machines in order to brew the perfect, aromatic […]

The World Economic Forum defines the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a representation of “a fundamental change in the way we live, work and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technology advances commensurate with those of the first, second and third industrial revolutions.” There is an immense amount of potential seen in the Fourth Industrial revolution with an inherent reliance on the impact that the emerging technology will have on various sectors, predominantly the “physical, digital and biological world.” It is a movement that president Cyril Ramaphosa touched on recently in hologram-form at the 4th Industrial Revolution SA Digital Economy Summit in Midrand, and […]