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...

UP researchers find environmental toxins poison epigenetic inheritance

Posted on February 09, 2024

In a study that signals potential reproductive and health complications in humans, now and for future generations, researchers at the University of Pretoria and Canada’s McGill University and Université Laval have concluded that toxins in the environment, notably DDT, modify the sperm...

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.

Breast cancer awareness in the genomic landscape

Posted on October 10, 2022

Researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) are making today matter by battling aggressive breast cancer through identifying genes that make African women more susceptible to certain forms of breast cancer. However, this is no easy task as very little genomic information is known about African...

Ancestral heritage linked to aggressive prostate cancer, study finds

Posted on August 31, 2022

Two pioneering studies published simultaneously today in Nature and Genome Medicine have identified genetic signatures explaining ethnic differences in the severity of prostate cancer, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Influx of COVID-19 paediatric cases in early Omicron stages put pressure on Tshwane hospitals – UP study finds

Posted on March 03, 2022

A multidisciplinary study led by two University of Pretoria (UP) researchers has found that Tshwane District hospitals were under immense pressure to provide clinical services in the face of an influx of paediatric patients (under 19 years old) during the early stages of the COVID-19 Omicron wave...

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.