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 researcher discovers two new dung beetle species which don't roll balls or use dung

Posted on November 13, 2024

Over the past two decades, field trips in search of dung beetles have taken University of Pretoria (UP) doctoral student Christian Deschodt across Southern Africa. But it was a well-trodden walk to fetch his kids from school, a mere 1,5km from his home near Hartbeespoort, that saw him stumble...

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...

RE.SEARCH 8: Connect

Posted on May 07, 2024

In a world in which there is an ever-encroaching digital footprint and high-tech solutions, it is vital that we reconnect with an outlook of compassion, care and communication. We do this through connection and connectivity. The theme of our latest issue, ‘Connect’, highlights how UP...

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...

RE.SEARCH 7: Just Transitions

Posted on November 23, 2023

This edition explores the theme of ‘Just Transitions’ which is generally characterised by ideas of sustainability and the greening of the economy, and supported by the ideas of resistance, rethinking and restructuring society for a better and more equitable future. As one of the most...

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 study shows 81% of Grade 4 learners in SA have reading difficulties

Posted on May 16, 2023

The South African portion of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2021 conducted by UP has found that 81% of South African Grade 4 learners are struggling to read for comprehension at age 10.

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...

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.

RE.SEARCH Issue 3: Renew

Posted on August 05, 2022

Welcome to the third issue of, RE.SEARCH. The first two issues looked at ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Innovation’. Issue 3 looks at how we can ‘Renew’ our ways of thinking and grow possibilities. This edition features research that should excite everyone from the...

Limit children’s exposure to microplastics as a precaution – UP researcher

Posted on July 20, 2022

Until we know more about the risks, we should try to limit our exposure to microplastics found in products and in the environment, and the toxic chemicals associated with them. This is according to Professor Halina Röllin of UP’s School of Health Systems and Public Health, who was part of...

UP researchers use low-cost device to detect foetal growth restriction

Posted on April 04, 2022

Researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) have shown that a low-cost, easy-to-use screening device can detect foetal growth restriction in pregnant women, which, if not diagnosed, can lead to stillbirth, neonatal death or suboptimal childhood growth.

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...