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Department of Physics represents UP at MeerKAT inauguration

Posted by: University of Pretoria

17 July 2018

Prof Roger Deane from the Department of Physics represented UP at the launch of the MeerKAT radio telescope, inaugurated by Deputy President David Mabuza in the Northern Cape. Built and operated by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), the MeerKAT comprises 64 radio dishes, each measuring approximately 13,5 m in diameter and spread across an 8 km region in the Karoo. The MeerKAT is already the world’s most powerful telescope of its kind, and forms part of the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an international project which will be the largest scientific infrastructure on earth.

UP academic, ‘a fighter against hunger'

Posted by: University of Pretoria

13 July 2018

Hunger is on the rise again worldwide, despite the rapid progress needed to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which is to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Currently, one person in three is malnourished and, if current trends continue, one person in two could be malnourished by 2030.

Op ED: How adapting to different climates has helped a pest spread across the globe

Posted by: University of Pretoria

10 July 2018

If you have ever bitten into a fruit and been disgusted to find it wriggling with cream-coloured maggots, you have already met at least one member of the fruit fly family. True fruit flies belong to the fly family Tephritidae, and are quite different from the small Drosophila or “vinegar flies” that hover around and drown in your glass of wine. Unlike Drosophila, which lay their eggs in decaying organic matter such as fruit in a bowl in your kitchen, true fruit flies lay their eggs in ripening fruit that’s developing on the tree.

Bridging the divide between art and science

Posted by: University of Pretoria

10 July 2018

The University of Pretoria (UP) has launched a new Master’s in Social Science programme focusing on Tangible Heritage Conservation, which is the first degree of its kind in South Africa. The degree is made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (AWMF), which has been involved in South African higher education for the last 30 years. The first cohort of students will enter the programme in 2019. The degree will provide scarce skills to the field of arts conservation which is a multidisciplinary, applied science.

Cling film may have cancer risks

Posted by: University of Pretoria

09 July 2018

A study by researchers into the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals in eight brands of cling wrap, which is used to package food has revealed that one brand had a high concentration, which may result in adverse health effects and cancer risks. The study was conducted by the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Environmental Chemical Pollution and Health Research Unit, and was led by UP Dean of Health Sciences, Prof Tiaan de Jager and Director of the Unit, Dr Natalie Aneck-Hahn.

The South African SDG Hub: what you need to know

Posted by: University of Pretoria

05 July 2018

The South African SDG Hub is an online platform that aims to connect South African policy makers with the research and innovation they need to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Given the breadth of the SDGs, and the key role that policy makers have in creating an enabling environment for them to be reached, affording these policy makers access to up-to-date research that could influence policy is crucial. Giselle Weybrecht spoke to Willem Fourie, co-ordinator of the project and Associate Professor at the University of Pretoria’s Albert Luthuli Centre for Responsible Leadership about the impact that the Hub is already having.

Going with the flow in pharmaceutical manufacturing

Posted by: University of Pretoria

04 July 2018

Nicole Neyt, a PhD student in the Riley Research Group, housed in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pretoria (UP), recently won the first prize in the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)’s Twitter poster conference, in the category of engineering, for her work in flow chemistry.

Africa’s ‘Tree of Life’ is dying

Posted by: University of Pretoria

02 July 2018

Baobabs have graced the African landscape for thousands of years, reaching great heights of over 30 metres, stretching across 32 countries on the continent and its islands. These incredible giants serve their environment and local communities, having over 300 uses. But a 12-year international study that the University of Pretoria (UP) has been a part of has found that these ancient trees, described as the ‘Tree of Life’ are dying.