News
UP expert details the true, terrifying nature of lightning
There is a common misconception that most lightning victims are struck directly by a “bolt” of lightning from the sky. But according to Professor Ryan Blumenthal, a senior specialist forensic pathologist at the University of Pretoria, less than 5% of victims are struck by the lightning flash itself – most lighting-related deaths and injuries occur as a result of other lightning attachment mechanisms.
Researcher profile: UP ‘lightning pathologist’ Prof Ryan Blumenthal
University of Pretoria (UP) forensic pathologist Professor Ryan Blumenthal is a senior specialist and lecturer in the Department of Forensic Medicine and an expert on electrothermal injuries. Many might recognise him from the eight-part documentary series Lightning Pathologist, which recently aired on DStv, reaching more than two million viewers.
UP vets’ partial knee replacement surgery on Theophylline the cat another first for South Africa
After Theophylline fractured her leg in a fall, determined UP vets used a complex surgery that has never been performed in SA before to ensure that the kitten’s leg is saved from amputation.
NEW STUDY: Welfare and survival of Africa’s arid mammals under threat of climate change
Dr Ned Snelling, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology and Prof Leith Meyer, Director of the Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies, both from the Faculty of Veterinary Science have just published a new study on the welfare and survival of Africa’s arid-dwelling mammals under the threat of climate change.
University of Pretoria researchers receive prestigious grants for cutting-edge cancer research
UP’s Prof Robert Millar and Dr Iman van den Bout have received funding to support their research into solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer and breast cancer.
Ground-breaking study reveals colonies of mole-rats communicate with each other in their own dialect
A study by a team of scientists at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin, Germany and the University of Pretoria (UP) has found that naked mole-rats can communicate with one another within their own colony. They do this with a unique dialect that is specific to that individual colony.
Fencing-in of Botswana elephants could explain why 350 elephants died in one area, reveals UP-led study
An international study led by the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Professor Rudi van Aarde suggests that the mass die-off of 350 elephants in one area of northern Botswana last year could be attributed to the fencing-in of these animals.
UP researcher’s team discovers new compounds with the potential to eliminate malaria
The discovery involves the identification of unique compounds that are able to kill several stages of the malaria-causing parasite and can block the transmission of the parasite between humans and mosquitoes.
UP research project: Retrofitting unused spaces can help South African cities adapt to climate change
Identifying opportunities for building owners and community groups in cities to take the initiative on a small scale can be part of SA’s response to climate change, write UP lecturer Jan Hugo and Professor Chrisna du Plessis.
Curious Kids: do cats and dogs understand us when we miaow or bark?
There’s been a lot of research about communication between people and domestic animals like dogs and cats. But we don’t yet have the answer to your very interesting question. We don’t know what cats and dogs think or if they understand us when we use their noises.
Concentration camps in the South African War? Here are the real facts
More than a century after 48 000 people died in concentration camps in what’s known as the South African War between 1899 and 1902 – or the Anglo-Boer War – the events of that period are back in the headlines.
Nearly half of South Africa’s live music workers may quit the industry for good
For people working in South Africa’s live music sector, 2020 has been “devastating”. That was the term that researchers read most frequently in responses to the country’s largest-ever live music and COVID-19 survey, published in November.
Watch documentary: Developing international standards to manage demonstrations
In 2020, we watched Black Lives Matter protests unfold across the world as a reaction to police brutality in the USA. Researchers at the Faculty of Law were instrumental in drafting the UN standards on the use of force by police.
Where are all the whales? Too hungry to migrate
The large numbers of southern right whales that usually visit the South African coast have been in dramatic decline since 2010. Research conducted by the University of Pretoria (UP) has shown that many lack the energy to do so and that female whales are calving less often.
UP researchers embark on vaccine trial for bovine TB
Professor Anita Michel and Dr Jennie Hewlett, University of Pretoria (UP) researchers in the Faculty of Veterinary Science, have announced the start of vaccine trials for tuberculosis (TB) in African buffalo.
Engineering 4.0: The future of smart cities in Africa
Concepts such as Engineering 4.0 can be realised with projects that seek to improve the crop of civil engineers available in South Africa. One such effort is the national road materials reference and training laboratory under construction at the University of Pretoria.
Engineering 4.0: The future of smart cities in Africa
Concepts such as Engineering 4.0 can be realised with projects that seek to improve the crop of civil engineers available in South Africa. One such effort is the national road materials reference and training laboratory under construction at the University of Pretoria.
UP chemical pathology scientists develop ground-breaking nanobodies for COVID-19 detection and therapy
Researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) are producing unique nanobodies that could be of ground-breaking use in rapid tests and as a therapy for COVID-19. In tests conducted in collaboration with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the nanobodies have been shown to neutralise SARS-CoV-2 in cells.
Invasive mosquito species could bring more malaria to Africa’s urban areas
A species of mosquito that can carry malaria – known as Anopheles stephensi – has invaded eastern Africa and is quickly moving across the region. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked Jeremy Herren and Clifford Mutero to provide insights into why this invasion is happening and what can be done to protect people from it.
Movember: Raising awareness around men’s health and prostate cancer
Movember is an annual campaign in which men are called upon to grow moustaches during November to raise awareness of men’s health issues – including that of prostate cancer.