Featured Research: Genomics & Biotechnology

Story

Flour power: UP researchers boost nutritive benefits of sweet potato with novel drying technology

Researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) have found a way to make orange-fleshed sweet potato last longer in an effort to benefit from this smart crop and address micronutrient deficiencies among young children and pregnant women.

Story

Ancestral heritage linked to aggressive prostate cancer, study finds

Two pioneering studies published simultaneously today in Nature and Genome Medicine have identified genetic signatures explaining ethnic differences in the severity of prostate cancer, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Story

UP microbiologists find Namib Desert soils teeming with life

Investigations by a University of Pretoria (UP) research team into the changes that occur in the microbiome of Namib Desert soils after rain have found that they are abundant with tiny life forms.

Web Series

What lives in desert sand?

Understanding the ecology of desert soil microbiomes is therefore particularly important for understanding the role of desert ecosystems in a larger global context. In this episode, Prof Don Cowan examines the uniqueness of the Namib desert and explains what lives in the desert soil.

Lecture

‘From novel virus to global pandemic: Understanding the origins and evolution of emerging and re-emerging viruses’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) identified disease X as the next pandemic threat, a year before the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, which sparked the COVID-19 pandemic. The true impact of the pandemic over the past two years far exceeded our expectations, with >18 million excess deaths worldwide, as well as extensive pressure on healthcare systems and the global economy. Although the world is...

Story

Re.Search Issue 2: Innovation

Innovation is the next step forward. The innovations highlighted in this edition show us that the knowledge we create today is a step forward to future.