News | NSCF

Saving Orphan Collections: Lessons from the Bews Herbarium

Sep 9, 2026 | Latest, SPNHC 2026

Christina Potgieter Curry presented at SPNHC 2026 on how the Bews Herbarium incorporated five neglected plant collections — and what other institutions can learn from the experience. What happens to collections that lose their home? Across South Africa, natural...

Her name on the label, today: the women building South Africa’s collections

Sep 2, 2026 | Latest

The names on today’s labels are being written by a new generation of women; in digitisation suites, herbarium labs, and the field. When we talk about the women behind South Africa’s natural science collections, it is tempting to look only at the past. But...

Her Name on the Label: Nosiphiwo Goci

Aug 20, 2026 | Latest

Every museum label tells a story. Most visitors read the species name, the collector, the date. They rarely see the names of the people who made the science possible; the hands that sorted, the eyes that separated, the patience that turned chaotic field samples into...

A fish from 65 million years ago, found by a woman in East London

Aug 19, 2026 | Latest

On 21 December 1938, a 31-year-old museum curator saved a fish no one could name. It turned out to be a coelacanth; a fish thought to have vanished some 65 million years ago. Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was born in East London on 24 February 1907, and in 1936 she...

Novel praying mantis feeding behaviour reported: They can also snack on snails!

Aug 18, 2026 | Latest

Figure 1. Flag Mantis (Polyspilota aeruginosa) immature feeding on a Brown Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum) in captivity. Photos by Paul Janse van Rensburg. Article contributed by Riaan Stals, South African National Collection of Insects The behaviour and biology of...

Her Name on the Label: the women behind South Africa’s natural science collections

Aug 14, 2026 | Latest

This Women’s Month, the Natural Science Collections Facility is asking South Africa to meet the women behind the country’s collections — and to add the next names to the record. Every specimen in South Africa’s natural science collections carries a...

From Manual to Metrics: NSCF’s Open-Access Framework & What It Offers Local, African and Global Scientific Communities

Apr 29, 2026 | Latest, Popular Articles

Written by Shanelle Ribeiro and Shaun Pieterse The NSCF has developed several open-source resources, tools, and practices that contribute to improving standards, facilitating collaboration, and building capacity for South Africa’s natural science collections. These...

Sinoxolensis fikianthus: The Collaborative Curator

Nov 13, 2025 | Emerging Leaders, Events, Latest, Youth in Collections

Habitat: Found in the vibrant academic waters of Makhanda, within the NRF-SAIAB Fish Collection, Sinoxolensis fikianthus thrives among preserved specimens and passionate scientists. This environment provides the ideal conditions for growth — structured yet full of...

Nikishaea singhia: The Curious Connector

Nov 10, 2025 | Emerging Leaders, Events, Latest, Youth in Collections

Habitat:Found thriving between the bushveld and the biodiversity cabinets of Skukuza, Nikishaea singhiae flourishes in environments rich in curiosity, collaboration, and kindness. It prefers ecosystems where ideas are exchanged freely, stories are shared openly, and...

Lilisoe mbadlae: The Reflective Collaborator

Nov 3, 2025 | Emerging Leaders, Events, Latest, Youth in Collections

Habitat:Found thriving in dynamic, people-centered environments — from museum workspaces to collaborative project settings — Lilisoe mbadlae flourishes where open dialogue, teamwork, and shared purpose intersect. This species is often sighted bridging gaps between...