UP scientists win Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for global research into particle discovery

Posted on October 29, 2025

Two University of Pretoria (UP) researchers have been awarded the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, along with colleagues from the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), for their contribution to the ATLAS experiment. The general-purpose particle physics experiment seeks...

Filling the gaps of placental insufficiency

Posted on October 23, 2025

What do stillbirths, child stunting and impaired cognitive development have in common? It could be that all these problems start in the womb, with a placenta that doesn’t function as it should. Researchers at the University of Pretoria’s Research (UP) Centre for Maternal, Fetal,...

Ransom notes - Fighting ransomware with data-driven innovation and collaboration

Posted on June 25, 2025

Ransomware has emerged as one of the most devastating cyber threats, wreaking havoc on businesses. Ransomware attacks, once indiscriminate and opportunistic, have evolved into sophisticated, targeted campaigns. The advent of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) has lowered barriers to entry for...

UP-led astronomy research team explores formation of giant radio galaxies

Posted on February 10, 2025

Enabled by supercomputing, University of Pretoria (UP) researchers have led an international team of astronomers that has provided deeper insight into the entire life cycle (birth, growth and death) of giant radio galaxies, which resemble “cosmic fountains” – jets of superheated...

Making light work: UP chemists pave the way towards an ultra-sensitive analytical instrument that can detect water pollutants

Posted on June 27, 2022

A UP-led team is using the momentum of light to trap particles. This optical trap has been used with collaborators to demonstrate a hidden property in light that remains unchanged even when it passes through turbulence.