The discovery of Homo naledi is today on the front pages of a large proportion of newspapers around the world.
The discovery of Homo naledi is today on the front pages of a large proportion of newspapers around the world.
At the announcement media conference, there were more than 100 journalists, a coterie of politicians and a slew of scientists, all drawn to the Cradle of Humankind by tantalising promises from palaeoanthropologist Professor Lee Berger, who said the announcement would be big.
The invitation said there would be an announcement of a “major discovery” – “a ground breaking fossil discovery of international importance”. Such massive promises can easily lead to disappointment and Berger is sometimes accused of being overly enthusiastic about his claims, but this latest discovery certainly lived up to its hype.
There were senior politicians in the audience including the Deputy President of the country, Cyril Ramaphosa and the acting premier of Gauteng Province, Lebogang Maile. Chief science and exploration officer for the National Geographic Society, Terry Garcia and Wits University’s Vice Chancellor, Adam Habib were two of the high-profile speakers at the announcement.
The point I am getting around to making is that it was a big deal.
A very big deal.
It was a good news, South African science story that made it big time in most major news organisations on this planet.
Yet at the same time that we are celebrating our scientific prowess, we are also lamenting the loss of the last full-time science desk in this country’s mainstream media.
This week we learned that in an effort to cut costs, the Mail and Guardian has decided to cut its science desk, thereby obliging its science editor to either accept redeployment within the organisation or to be re-retrenched. She chose the latter option.
It is a bitter irony that as we rejoice with our “major discovery” we are rapidly losing our ability to cover such discoveries.
If we leave the caves and look to the stars, we note that once again South African scientists have a leading role to play.
The Square Kilometre Array radio telescope is one of the biggest science projects in the world – and the greater part of it will be built in the Karoo – but how many journalists have the expertise to cover its astronomic advances?
Fortunately for South African palaeontology, Berger is a media magician.
He knows how to find rare bones, and he also knows how to put on a show.
People all over the world now know that important discoveries about human origins are being made in South Africa thanks to Berger.
Other scientists would do well to learn from him how to share their knowledge with the rest of the world.
