News

  • 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 researchers discover optimum way to monitor blood oxygen levels in immobilised rhino, boosting efforts to combat poaching

    Posted on August 14, 2024

    New research by scientists at the University of Pretoria (UP) has shown that pulse oximeters, originally designed for humans, can be used more effectively to monitor the blood oxygen levels of rhinoceroses who are under anaesthesia and immobilised – by attaching them at an unusual site: the...

  • 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.

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Research shows there are more warm-bodied sharks than previously thought

    Posted on November 15, 2023

    New research arising from a collaboration between scientists at the University of Pretoria (UP) and Trinity College Dublin has shown there are likely more warm-bodied sharks out there than previously thought.

  • 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...

  • Increasing Rainfall Extremes in SA

    Posted on May 16, 2023

    With climate change said to be affecting the intensity of rainfall, experts at the University of Pretoria (UP) have investigated if there are observable changes in the probability of significant to extreme daily rainfall across South Africa.

  • 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...

  • 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.

  • UP-US study maps roaming habits of elephants in Southern Africa to boost conservation efforts

    Posted on November 24, 2022

    A new series of maps drawn up by Emeritus Professor Rudi van Aarde of the University of Pretoria (UP) and Dr Ryan Huang of Duke University in the US details where African elephants prefer to roam in Southern Africa.

  • UP scientist joins call to protect Southern Ocean

    Posted on November 02, 2022

    The Southern Ocean around Antarctica needs urgent protection – for the sake of the rest of the world. This marine wilderness is threatened by climate change and commercial fisheries, says University of Pretoria (UP) macro-ecologist Dr Luis Pertierra, an expert on the natural value of the...

  • UP part of international study that reveals role of termites in earth’s carbon cycle

    Posted on September 28, 2022

    The University of Pretoria (UP) recently participated in an international study led by the University of Miami to investigate termite and microbial wood discovery and decay. Termites release carbon from the wood as methane and carbon dioxide, which are two of the most important greenhouse gases...

  • 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...

  • Fewer than 70 Albertina Sisulu orchids are left; researchers say fungi key to saving the species

    Posted on July 12, 2022

    The Albertina Sisulu orchid was described as a new species in 1955, the same year the struggle stalwart launched the Freedom Charter with her compatriots in the ANC Women’s League. Researchers at the University of Pretoria want to help save this endangered plant by understanding the unique...

  • UP-led Hot Birds Project homes in on how extreme heat affects bird species

    Posted on June 22, 2022

    Rising temperatures as a result of climate change will affect bird species differently, and their abilities to withstand extremely hot conditions depend on the part of the world that they find themselves in and the climatic region to which their physiology has become adapted over the course of...

  • Researchers discover many predators roam private land in Limpopo

    Posted on March 11, 2022

    Scientists have studied wild carnivores roaming protected areas for a long time, but predator numbers in unprotected areas remained unclear until recently. In Platjan, Limpopo, where farmers share the land with leopards and other predators, researchers led by Philip Faure have now tracked these...

  • WWF and UP team up to keep watch on southern right whales

    Posted on March 01, 2022

    UP’s Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit and WWF South Africa are teaming up to support research on southern right whales in response to warming oceans and changes to ocean processes which are affecting the number of whales visiting SA's shores.

  • UP-led study suggests declining energy efficiency of heart imposes upper limit on body size

    Posted on February 09, 2022

    A groundbreaking study undertaken by researchers from the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Faculty of Veterinary Science has revealed that the heart operates with declining energy efficiency as body size increases among mammals.

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