News

  • Past and present stories of Africa

    Posted on October 02, 2017

    New techniques, new attitudes and new perspectives on southern African archaeology mean that the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Pretoria (UP) is blazing a new trail and setting the standard for how archaeology should be done in southern Africa.

  • New improved mosquito traps developed in partnership between UP ISMC and private sector

    Posted on September 26, 2017

    The University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP ISMC) is assisting in the design and testing of an innovative solar-powered trap to monitor mosquito populations, especially in areas where malaria and arboviruses require vector control.

  • Research explores the social life of one of Africa's most iconic animals

    Posted on September 20, 2017

    Giraffes, like so many species in Africa, are under threat. While scientifically inaccurate cultural beliefs exist which claim that lion bone, rhino horn and pangolin scales have health benefits for humans, certain cultures consider the giraffe's tail to be a status symbol.

  • Bottle or tap: Which is safer?

    Posted on September 11, 2017

    We all know the importance of drinking enough water every day. Some of the many benefits of drinking water are that it improves skin complexion, flushes out toxins, maintains regularity and boosts the immune system.

  • Promising mosquito repellent formulations to fight malaria

    Posted on September 05, 2017

    Mosquitoes are insect vectors of deadly diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, Zika virus, lymphatic filariasis and West Nile fever. They transmit disease to hundreds of millions of people, resulting in up to a million deaths annually.

  • Indigenous knowledge-based cosmeceuticals for natural and green cosmetics

    Posted on August 31, 2017

    South Africa has tremendous plant diversity that is largely untapped in terms of its potential for medicinal and cosmeceutical purposes. With about 25 000 known species, this country is third only to Brazil and Indonesia as far as biodiversity is concerned. This constitutes about one tenth of all...

  • Applying health research in South African schools for learners' well-being

    Posted on August 23, 2017

    A collaborative study involving local and international researchers has created an intervention strategy to help improve the diet and lifestyle of schoolchildren in South Africa.

  • Power UP: Research for an energy efficient SA #UPResearchMatters

    Posted on August 17, 2017

    South Africa’s national electrical grid system is under increasing strain due to aging infrastructure, insufficient maintenance and a lack of real-time monitoring.

  • New nutrition education programme to help children eat healthy

    Posted on August 07, 2017

    A few years ago, Mojisola Deborah Kupolati lost her mother to cardiovascular disease, which may have been exacerbated by a poor diet. She says it was this personal realisation about the importance of healthy eating that drew her to a career in nutrition.

  • Solving food insecurity will be no picnic, researchers say

    Posted on August 04, 2017

    South Africa has a tradition of evidence-based decision making, grounded in the findings of national surveys. But many of them remain a largely untapped resource for understanding the contextual experience of food insecurity.

  • Focus on One Health

    Posted on August 04, 2017

    Our current feature focuses on the collaboration managed by the University's Faculty of Veterinary Science where veterinarians and other experts are working on various projects at the interface of human, animal and environmental health. The Faculty has made substantial progress in incorporating...

  • Footsteps Along the Tracks project uncovers largely forgotten cultural heritage

    Posted on August 02, 2017

    The University of Pretoria (UP) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands present the Footsteps Along the Tracks project, which uncovers the largely forgotten cultural heritage represented by the Netherlands South African Railways Company (NZASM).

  • A new indigenous personality test for South Africa

    Posted on July 25, 2017

    Psychological assessments for employees have been controversial in South Africa because of the country's troubled past. Cognitive ability and personality tests, for example, were originally developed for white, English speakers, but have been applied to other language groups as determined by...

  • UP researchers weigh in on bird flu outbreak

    Posted on July 19, 2017

    University of Pretoria researchers are working with the poultry industry and the National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) to contain the current bird flu outbreak in South Africa.

  • Ensuring better health and proper care for cheetahs in captivity

    Posted on July 11, 2017

    It can reach a speed of 100km/h in just three seconds, is extremely light in weight and aerodynamically streamlined, and can cover nine metres in just one stride at almost four strides per second. For more than half of every stride, it is airborne.

  • One step closer to malaria elimination

    Posted on June 08, 2017

    A large international collaborative effort, including researchers from the University of Pretoria (UP), the University of Cape Town (UCT) and partners, has resulted in the identification of a new chemical compound that can potentially eliminate malaria.

  • Minimally invasive methods make surgery safer for Africa's big cats

    Posted on June 02, 2017

    In most medical success stories, one would expect to hear about procedures first being successfully tested on animals before they are applied in the human realm of medicine.

  • Understanding the intricacies of rhino immobilisation

    Posted on May 30, 2017

    The reality of rhino poaching has made us all too aware of the fragility of the species. It is with growing frequency that veterinary professionals are required to work on these animals in an attempt to save them.

  • Scientists use statistics to differentiate African dolphin 'dialects'

    Posted on May 22, 2017

    Understanding how and when animal species use their environment is a fundamental ecological question and one that can be surprisingly difficult to answer, particularly when working in the marine environment.

  • Alien invasion - the threat is real

    Posted on May 18, 2017

    Ocean traffic is on the increase and it has been predicted that by 2030, shipping will have doubled. 'A single vessel releases as many chemical pollutants as 50 million cars.'

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