Featured Research: Health

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UP researchers find environmental toxins poison epigenetic inheritance

In a study that signals potential reproductive and health complications in humans, now and for future generations, researchers at the University of Pretoria and Canada’s McGill University and Université Laval have concluded that toxins in the environment, notably DDT, modify the sperm epigenome at sites potentially transmitted to the embryo at conception.

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RE.SEARCH 7: Just Transitions

This edition explores the theme of ‘Just Transitions’ which is generally characterised by ideas of sustainability and the greening of the economy, and supported by the ideas of resistance, rethinking and restructuring society for a better and more equitable future. As one of the most impactful producers of research in South Africa, UP has several specialised research teams that are on the...

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Research shows there are more warm-bodied sharks than previously thought

New research arising from a collaboration between scientists at the University of Pretoria (UP) and Trinity College Dublin has shown there are likely more warm-bodied sharks out there than previously thought.

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UP researchers close in on the secret to aging

The quest for immortality has long fascinated humans, and inspired countless tales – now, in two new studies published in the journals Nature and Science, University of Pretoria (UP) researchers, along with a team of global experts known as the Mammalian Methylation Consortium, are a step closer to unmasking the secret of aging in mammals, thus raising important questions – and answers.

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Developing the pan-mammalian clock

This infographic explains how the universal pan-mammalian clock was developed to determine the age of mammals in the wild for conservation and the preservation of endangered species. The clock can be used in forensic science to estimate the correct age of a victim at the time of death or the age of a suspect based on forensic evidence.

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The pan-mammalian clock

Aging has long been thought to be the result of random cellular damage or degradation over time, but this latest research shows that the epigenetic aspects of aging in fact follow a predetermined “programme”.