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International Year of Plant Health Part 5: How can we help? [Video]
Video: The polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) is a tiny, invasive black beetle from Asia that has recently been discovered in South Africa. Although only 2 mm in length, this tiny beetle has detrimental consequences for South African trees, as it carries a destructive fungus, Fusarium euwallaceae, from tree to tree.
International Year of Plant Health Part 6: Are your trees at risk?
Here’s a handy list of the tree species which have been known to be infected by the polyphagous shot hole borer already.
International Year of Plant Health Part 1: The secret behind SA’s disappearing urban forests
Dr Trudy Paap is a participant in the International Plant Sentinel Network who was tasked to do routine surveys for tree pests and diseases in the National Botanical Gardens of South Africa, a project funded by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. It was during one of these surveys that she noticed small lesions resembling shotgun marks on the stems and branches of mature London plane (Platanus x acerifolia) in the historical avenue of the KwaZulu-Natal National Botanical Garden in Pietermaritzburg.
International Year of Plant Health: FABI embraces the 4IR with technology that unravels the genetics behind fungal genome evolution
In the age of genomics and bioinformatics scientists can produce massive amounts of data on deadly fungi threatening biodiversity and agriculture.
Why it’s so critical to continuously monitor and manage plant diseases
Most of us understand the critical importance of monitoring the spread of diseases. And it is as important for plant diseases as it is for humans.
UP researchers draft new UN standards on use of force by police
The United Nations in Geneva has released global standards on the use of force by the police worldwide. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet welcomed the new United Nations Human Rights Guidance on the Use of Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement and urged all states to follow it.
Major new US study measures police use of force against standards set out in UP research
Research from the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Law has become a global benchmark for a major US-based study on the use of force by police in America.
ANALYSIS: The continued threat of coal mining at the Mapungubwe world heritage site
Most developing countries face acute tensions between socio-economic development and environmental protection. Any opposition to proposed development, on environmental or heritage grounds, is seen as a threat to the creation of employment and the growth of the economy.
Studying and doing research in isolation: A guide to thriving
When South African president Cyril Ramaphosa announced a nationwide lockdown on 23 March, academic institutions were faced with a new reality and concerns about how to resume the academic year.
UP part of team that solves mystery of X-shaped radio galaxies with MeerKAT telescope
A team of astronomers from South Africa and the USA has used the MeerKAT telescope to solve a longstanding puzzle in ‘X’-shaped radio galaxies by observing a galaxy called PKS 2014-55 that’s situated 800 million light years away from Earth. Previous studies of these unusual galaxies lacked the high-quality imaging provided by the MeerKAT telescope, which was inaugurated in 2018.
Researcher Profile: Dr Kshitij Thorat
Dr Kshitij Thorat is an astronomer and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pretoria (UP). He is a member of UP’s astronomy group within the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.
ANALYSIS: The big asks Africa needs to table with the IMF and World Bank: here’s the list
The coronavirus and its economic consequences have caused economic tsunamis in every country in the world. The scale of the onslaught will dominate discussions at the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank spring meetings due to take place – for the first time ever virtually – in mid-April.
ANALYSIS: Investing in research is South Africa’s best insurance policy against crises
As the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads around the world, causing the disease COVID-19, it is becoming ever clearer that the solutions to this pandemic will all be based on research.
Do archaic colonial laws criminalise homeless people today?
Prof Magnus Killander, an international human rights and comparative constitutional law researcher at the University of Pretoria’s world-renowned Centre for Human Rights in the Faculty of Law, believes that South Africa needs to overhaul and relook many of its municipal by laws which criminalise poverty, begging and homeless people.
WATCH: UP experts discuss coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic
As South Africa responds to the local spread of a global pandemic, University of Pretoria (UP) researchers are at the forefront of research into zoonotic diseases – which can be transmitted from animals to humans – via collaborative research between our Faculties of Health Sciences, Natural and Agricultural Sciences, and Veterinary Science.
UP study flags financial inclusion gap for women smallholder farmers in Nigeria as obstacle in efforts towards achieving sustainable development
Women smallholder farmers in Nigeria are involved in all aspects of agriculture. This ranges from producing food on farms to putting it on plates. They’re involved in planting crops, livestock production, harvesting, marketing and processing of farm produce as well as food preparation and family care.
UP part of 3-year ELEPHANT project to address health challenges arising from human, animal interaction such as COVID-19
The Faculty of Veterinary Science at UP is one of the leading partners in the Erasmus+ ELEPHANT project which will boost the capacity of the participating partner institutions in solving complex issues relating to the health of humans and animals.
Pioneering research by University of Pretoria and University of Leicester revolutionises early detection of TB
Researchers at the Universities of Pretoria (UP) and Leicester are revolutionising the way tuberculosis (TB) is detected through the invention and application of a 3D-printed insert added to simple face-masks. This new approach has the potential to detect millions of currently missed infections across the world.
UP: A World of Answers
At the University of Pretoria, we find answers.
UP’s Prof Frans Swanepoel recognised for creating impact for Africa’s agricultural development
Professor Frans Swanepoel, Fellow at the Centre for Advancement of Scholarship and Director: International Strategic Partnerships, was recently honored by RUFORUM during its 15th AGM in Ghana for his significant contributions in pursuit of excellence in higher education in Africa and creating systems that facilitate change and transformation.