UP scientists home in on gene that could play pivotal role in diet-induced obesity

Posted on May 12, 2025

Researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) may have identified the gene that is responsible for diet-related obesity. By exploring the role of the novel gene Slc7a8, they have made a potential breakthrough in current knowledge about the cellular mechanisms that drive fat accumulation. This...

RE.SEARCH 10: Make today matter

Posted on November 22, 2024

The articles in this edition showcase work from all nine of our faculties, and underscore our University’s slogan ‘Make today matter’. RE.SEARCH has been named South Africa's top corporate publication as the winner of the 2024 SA Publication's Forum Awards. It is a runner up and...

UP experts contribute to discovery of new ‘superpowers’ in mole rats, which could inform human health interventions

Posted on June 04, 2024

University of Pretoria (UP) scientists have contributed to discovering how the naked mole rat is able to withstand heart attacks and fend off bowel cancer, two of the most fatal human ailments in the developed world. Their findings were published recently in two Nature Communications papers.

UP researchers close in on the secret to aging

Posted on October 23, 2023

The quest for immortality has long fascinated humans, and inspired countless tales – now, in two new studies published in the journals Nature and Science, University of Pretoria (UP) researchers, along with a team of global experts known as the Mammalian Methylation Consortium, are a step...

RE.SEARCH 6: Open

Posted on July 26, 2023

This issue features research from all of the University of Pretoria's nine faculties and our business school, the Gordan Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and shows how our research is opening a new world and a better future.

UP researchers decode genome of king protea

Posted on May 24, 2023

University of Pretoria (UP) researchers are at the forefront of a very special first for South African plant sciences. They have unravelled the precise genetic make-up of the country’s national flower, the king protea (Protea cynaroides). It is the first plant that’s unique to South...

Microorganisms could be the cause of ‘fairy circle’ phenomenon – UP microbiologists

Posted on March 29, 2023

University of Pretoria (UP) scientists have posited a theory that could explain the tens of thousands of “fairy circles” that can be seen dotted across the arid landscape of Namibia.

UP microbiologists discover rich diversity of life in Antarctica’s cold, dry soils

Posted on December 07, 2022

The ice-free areas of Antarctica were initially thought to be devoid of life, but with the advent of modern genetic technologies, scientists now know that microorganisms have adapted to living in this extreme environment.

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.

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.