50|50 Episode 22 Season 7: 14 July 2016
A far back as the dawn of civilisation, from Mesopotamia, Egypt and ancient Greece, people have gazed up into the night sky, wondering “what is out there?” Ancient cultures based their day-to-day lives on the antediluvian movements of the planets and stars, and while scholars would ponder the bright specks – and the beginning of science as we know it was born. Now with the advancement of modern technology, we have come a long way since Galileo used a small refractor telescope to discover the four largest moons of Jupiter in 1610. This was the first observation of satellites orbiting another planet, and we are now quite familiar with most of our immediate solar system. However, beyond that, there is still much to be discovered, especially in the region of the sky that is blocked by the dust of our own milky way. For years, astronomers have mused over that dark section of our sky. But very recently, with the help of radio telescopes, South African astronomers are making astronomical history, using radio waves to look into that dusty blackness – and the results are astounding. They are discovering new hidden galaxies by the hundred, all of them vastly larger than our own.
Although they may look incredibly comical and cute, the Meerkat is in fact quite a force to be reckoned with. Fiercely protective, armed with rows of razor sharp teeth, these feisty desert dwellers are anything but pushovers. It also seems they take a certain amount of umbrage when a person tries to poke them with their finger. One little girl was unlucky enough to witness this exact thing, as she was picnicking with her family at the zoo – and was unfortunately involved in the chaos that ensued.
The diminutive Blue duiker is featured on 50|50 tonight. Living in close proximity to humans across their home range in KZN, life for these tiny antelope is far from easy. We take a closer look at these beautiful antelope and discuss ways in which their habitat and their declining population can be conserved.
It’s the battle of the titans tonight on VF, and some of Africa’s giants go head to head in some epic displays of survival. 2 male lions take on a big giraffe bull, while 2 animals with a fierce reputation do battle under the stars.