News

  • UP scientist joins call to protect Southern Ocean

    Posted on November 02, 2022

    The Southern Ocean around Antarctica needs urgent protection – for the sake of the rest of the world. This marine wilderness is threatened by climate change and commercial fisheries, says University of Pretoria (UP) macro-ecologist Dr Luis Pertierra, an expert on the natural value of the...

  • UP part of international study that reveals role of termites in earth’s carbon cycle

    Posted on September 28, 2022

    The University of Pretoria (UP) recently participated in an international study led by the University of Miami to investigate termite and microbial wood discovery and decay. Termites release carbon from the wood as methane and carbon dioxide, which are two of the most important greenhouse gases...

  • Fewer than 70 Albertina Sisulu orchids are left; researchers say fungi key to saving the species

    Posted on July 12, 2022

    The Albertina Sisulu orchid was described as a new species in 1955, the same year the struggle stalwart launched the Freedom Charter with her compatriots in the ANC Women’s League. Researchers at the University of Pretoria want to help save this endangered plant by understanding the unique...

  • UP-led Hot Birds Project homes in on how extreme heat affects bird species

    Posted on June 22, 2022

    Rising temperatures as a result of climate change will affect bird species differently, and their abilities to withstand extremely hot conditions depend on the part of the world that they find themselves in and the climatic region to which their physiology has become adapted over the course of...

  • Re.Search Issue 2: Innovation

    Posted on April 26, 2022

    Innovation is the next step forward. The innovations highlighted in this edition show us that the knowledge we create today is a step forward to future.

  • WWF and UP team up to keep watch on southern right whales

    Posted on March 01, 2022

    UP’s Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit and WWF South Africa are teaming up to support research on southern right whales in response to warming oceans and changes to ocean processes which are affecting the number of whales visiting SA's shores.

  • Research on genetic health of forest fig trees

    Posted on December 21, 2021

    Ficus trees are an essential source of food in forests because they produce fruit year-round. However, South African forests have been fragmented into tiny pieces since before the ice ages.

  • Better prediction of tiny bloodsuckers to protect livestock

    Posted on December 20, 2021

    Most South Africans love eating meat, but animal diseases regularly threaten a constant, affordable supply.

  • South African bats are losing their trees, UP research shows

    Posted on December 18, 2021

    Research at UP is looking at how tree harvesting is causing the destruction of natural habitat, bringing wild animals like bats into closer contact with humans than ever before and leading to increased risk of new zoonotic diseases.

  • Can elephants smell water?

    Posted on December 16, 2021

    Water is a vital resource for mammals. This is especially true for African elephants that generally drink every day but can go two to three days between drinks. As they have an exceptional sense of smell, it has been suggested that elephants may locate water using olfactory cues. However, there...

  • University of Pretoria expert to co-lead eucalyptus tree genome project

    Posted on November 15, 2021

    Prof Zander Myburg of UP’s Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute is part of an international team that will embark on a large-scale genome sequencing of 2 000 eucalyptus trees.

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