News

  • New food law initiative launched

    Posted on May 16, 2016

    The study of food law provides an ideal opportunity for transdisciplinary research and can contribute to the achievement of the University of Pretoria's research frontiers strategy.

  • The fruit industry's big problem

    Posted on May 13, 2016

    Fruit flies are a major threat to fruit production because infested fruit cannot be sold and production costs increase due to costly management techniques, resulting in increased fruit prices.

  • Traditional knowledge to enhance modern medicine

    Posted on May 11, 2016

    An estimated 20 000 plant species are used medicinally today and a number of ingredients commonly used in modern medicine to treat serious diseases, originate from plant-based traditional medicine.

  • Informal settlements: looking at the bigger picture

    Posted on May 09, 2016

    'I have lived in an informal settlement. I have visited a number of settlements. I have seen how poverty can strip my fellow humans of dignity.'

  • Calling all citizen scientists!

    Posted on May 03, 2016

    The Sea Search group is a collective of scientists and students from various local and international institutions who have a strong academic background in marine mammal science.

  • Adapted to the Antarctic: A cold-lover's genetics

    Posted on April 28, 2016

    Life can thrive in the most extreme climates – from the very hot to the very cold. Something that not long ago was believed to belong in science fiction has now been brought into the realm of reality by a researcher at the University of Pretoria (UP).

  • UP and Inqaba Biotec are blazing the trail for maggot therapy in South Africa

    Posted on April 22, 2016

    Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) has been used to clean wounds since before the development of antiseptics and antibiotics.

  • Indigenous, instant superfood for rural children

    Posted on April 19, 2016

    Although malnutrition is not as endemic in South Africa as in some other countries of sub-Saharan Africa, it nonetheless continues to be a significant problem, which is compounded by extreme levels of poverty in some areas.

  • Antarctic blue whales discovered off the South African west coast

    Posted on April 12, 2016

    Researchers from the University of Pretoria's Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, in collaboration with various partners, recently discovered the first evidence of a significant number of Antarctic blue whales off the west coast of South Africa since they were nearly hunted to extinction in the...

  • UP student's invention provides early warning system for Asthma attacks

    Posted on April 08, 2016

    Mr Moses Kebalepile, a PhD student in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Research Officer in the Department for Education Innovation at the University of Pretoria (UP), has made it to the semi-final stage of the 2016 GIST Tech-I Competition for his invention of a medical diagnostic instrument...

  • The science behind your favourite alcoholic beverage

    Posted on March 30, 2016

    Alcoholic beverages such as your favourite wine need to go through a lot of scientific tests before they get to the point where they can be enjoyed. Before alcohol can be sold, it has to go through rigorous tests to make sure what is inside the bottle is indeed what it is being sold as.

  • Facial screening project to assist with early diagnosis of Down syndrome in African children

    Posted on March 18, 2016

    Most Western infants born with conditions such as Down syndrome, are diagnosed before or shortly after birth, while their black African counterparts are often only diagnosed at around seven months or older.

  • Should tackles be banned in schools rugby

    Posted on March 17, 2016

    There was an uproar in the world of rugby recently when 73 health experts submitted an open letter to government ministers in the United Kingdom.

  • New study on vulture-killing drug raises serious concerns

    Posted on March 15, 2016

    For over a decade it has been known that some drugs are toxic to vultures and that they are exposed to these drugs by consuming contaminated carcasses.

  • Raising awareness of the silent thief of sight

    Posted on March 07, 2016

    Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in the world. This condition often referred to as the silent thief of sight, indeed creeps in like a thief in the night and snatches sight away from its unsuspecting victims – silently and painlessly.

  • The future of wildlife in our hands

    Posted on March 03, 2016

    Poaching and wildlife trafficking are becoming all too common in news headlines. Africa’s wildlife are targeted for their horns, tusks, scales and bones – all to satisfy man’s greed.

  • Free hearing test with local app hearZA

    Posted on March 03, 2016

    If a user of the app fails the hearing test, the app recommends the nearest hearing healthcare provider based on the user’s location.

  • Bee nutrition and human food security

    Posted on February 12, 2016

    Is it not ironic that while we increase agriculture in efforts to increase food production, we jeopardise some of nature’s most important pollinators?

  • Research yields interesting results about acute lower respiratory infections and HIV in children

    Posted on February 10, 2016

    Acute lower respiratory infections are the leading cause of childhood mortality worldwide, with an estimated 42% of these deaths occurring in Africa.

  • Bringing human agency back to the environmental crisis

    Posted on February 03, 2016

    The degradation of the environment is a particular area of concern when it comes to the African continent. Issues concerning land development.

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