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RE.SEARCH 10: Make today matter

The articles in this edition showcase work from all nine of our faculties, and underscore our University’s slogan ‘Make today matter’. RE.SEARCH has been named South Africa's top corporate publication as the winner of the 2024 SA Publication's Forum Awards. It is a runner up and finalist in the Excellence category for Communication (runner up), Design and Photography (finalist) and the...

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UP researcher discovers two new dung beetle species which don't roll balls or use dung

Over the past two decades, field trips in search of dung beetles have taken University of Pretoria (UP) doctoral student Christian Deschodt across Southern Africa. But it was a well-trodden walk to fetch his kids from school, a mere 1,5km from his home near Hartbeespoort, that saw him stumble upon an entirely new species.

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UP and CSIR pioneer maps for maize farmers to enable precision weeding

In a first for precision agriculture, University of Pretoria (UP) researchers, in association with collaborators from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have produced maps of smallholder farms in Gauteng that highlight maize plants in green and weeds in red. The maps were shared with farmers to enable them to pinpoint and eradicate weeds with more precision.

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Arid conditions stimulate plant trait diversity – UP part of worldwide study that offers hope for biodiversity conservation

The University of Pretoria (UP) has been part of a groundbreaking international study to understand how plants found in drylands have adapted to these extreme habitats. The results of this large-scale study, which involved 120 scientists from 27 countries, were recently published in scientific journal Nature and have significant implications for protecting biodiversity as the planet warms and...

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RE.SEARCH 9: What if? 

RE.SEARCH 9 is our most novel edition yet. In it, we have featured research that encourages us to think afresh, and is doing so, we’ve highlighted new ways of looking at research. You can expect to read about research that has potential and promise for the future but which is still nascent or represents an educated guess. This edition also features a range of multimedia that you can immerse...

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UP researchers discover optimum way to monitor blood oxygen levels in immobilised rhino, boosting efforts to combat poaching

New research by scientists at the University of Pretoria (UP) has shown that pulse oximeters, originally designed for humans, can be used more effectively to monitor the blood oxygen levels of rhinoceroses who are under anaesthesia and immobilised – by attaching them at an unusual site: the rhino’s ‘third eyelid’.