Our economies and our ecosystems rely heavily on trees. This means that the health of our planet depends on the health of our forests. Yet now, more than ever before, many trees are sick and dying because of pests and the diseases they cause, and worryingly, plantation forests are even more at risk than natural forests. In fact, 110 million ha of plantation forests globally are currently under threat as a result of invasive pests such as the Sirex woodwasp (Sirex noctilo), which targets pine trees specifically.
August 2, 2016
Cricket à la king? How about a yellow mealworm burger? Foods that may previously have evoked a ‘yuck’ response are now firmly on the menu. Research into edible insects by the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Pretoria (UP) is exploring how to rear and harvest this food of the future.
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is changing how we work, play and relax. Whether you use ChatGPT to write a brief, Midjourney to generate visuals or MuseNet to create unique soundtracks, these technologies have opened up opportunities for richer content.
A single query to ChatGPT uses as much electricity as burning a light bulb for about 20 minutes. Multiply that by the millions of requests that this artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot receives each day, and the environmental impact is ominous.
Copyright © University of Pretoria 2025. All rights reserved.
Get Social With Us
Download the UP Mobile App