RE.SEARCH 13: One Health

Posted on November 21, 2025

This edition is curated around the concept of One Health, in which the University of Pretoria plays a leading role globally, and is based on our research expertise in the various disciplines across healthcare for people, the environment and animals.

From ancient wisdom flows modern water solutions

Posted on November 12, 2025

Highly sophisticated water management techniques of ancient civilisations demonstrate the ingenuity of inhabitants who lived with limited water. It appears we need to look to the past to ensure a stable water supply in the future.

Food security starts with biodiversity

Posted on October 16, 2025

The world is five years away from the 2030 deadline to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we are no closer to ending hunger and food insecurity (SDG 2). Yet food security is just part of the battle – we also need to fight to keep indigenous biodiversity...

The cat’s out of the bag: Rabies still a silent threat

Posted on October 08, 2025

Many associate human rabies infections with infected domestic dogs. Yet, like most mammals, cats can also pass this deadly viral disease on to people. That is why pet owners should ensure that their feline pets receive regular rabies vaccinations, according to Professor Claude Sabeta of the...

Insects à la carte? - Producing environmentally friendly food while reducing our carbon footprint

Posted on June 11, 2025

Cricket à la king? How about a yellow mealworm burger? Foods that may previously have evoked a ‘yuck’ response are now firmly on the menu. Research into edible insects by the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Pretoria (UP) is exploring how to rear and harvest...

Fancy a cuppa? UP study finds tea to be as antioxidant-rich as fruit and veg

Posted on May 21, 2025

University of Pretoria (UP) researchers have found that the antioxidant content of certain types of tea can be likened to that found in recommended portions of fruit and vegetables.

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...

RE.SEARCH 9: What if? 

Posted on August 26, 2024

RE.SEARCH 9 is our most novel edition yet. In it, we have featured research that encourages us to think afresh, and is doing so, we’ve highlighted new ways of looking at research. You can expect to read about research that has potential and promise for the future but which is still nascent...

UP scientist issues urgent call for clean-up of toxic Krugersdorp mine dumps

Posted on July 04, 2024

Young children in Krugersdorp are breathing in uranium, arsenic and mercury fumes wafting over from abandoned legacy mines, while pollutants are seeping into the groundwater and nearby dams and lakes, cautions Dr Alseno Kagiso Mosai, a water remediation expert at the University of...

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...

UP-UKZN study investigates likelihood of farmers choosing compost made of human poop

Posted on August 24, 2023

University of Pretoria (UP) researchers lent their expertise to a recent study led by the University of KwaZulu-Natal and found that rural farmers in KwaZulu-Natal are open to buying and using compost made from human sewage as long as they can be sure that it is safe, affordable and works as well...

RE.SEARCH Issue 5: Impact

Posted on April 17, 2023

This issue of RE.SEARCH looks at the impact of the University of Pretoria's research from early childhood interventions and the use of traditional medicines for holistic nursing to the role of women in peacekeeping efforts. The issue also provides insight into the critical question of coal power...

UP hydrogeologists use isotopes to pinpoint root of Hartbeespoort Dam’s water hyacinth problem

Posted on November 21, 2022

For years now, invasive water hyacinth plants have clogged up the North West’s Hartbeespoort Dam, which lies downstream from Pretoria and Johannesburg. In new research, hydrogeologists from the University of Pretoria (UP) have used the internal workings of the plants themselves to reiterate...

Flour power: UP researchers boost nutritive benefits of sweet potato with novel drying technology

Posted on September 20, 2022

Researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) have found a way to make orange-fleshed sweet potato last longer in an effort to benefit from this smart crop and address micronutrient deficiencies among young children and pregnant women.