Featured Research: Genomics & Biotechnology

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Influx of COVID-19 paediatric cases in early Omicron stages put pressure on Tshwane hospitals – UP study finds

A multidisciplinary study led by two University of Pretoria (UP) researchers has found that Tshwane District hospitals were under immense pressure to provide clinical services in the face of an influx of paediatric patients (under 19 years old) during the early stages of the COVID-19 Omicron wave in November and December 2021.

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South Africa should rethink regulations on genetically modified plants

Food security is a global priority – and it is becoming more urgent in the face of climate change, which is already affecting crop productivity. One way to improve food security is to increase crop yields.

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Fig wasp sex ratios show that not all of nature is by design

In his 1859 book, On the Origin of Species, British naturalist Charles Darwin put forward his theory of natural selection. This, he argued, was the mechanism of biological evolution: like an animal or plant breeder selects for certain characteristics, individuals with better survival ability leave more offspring.

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Research on genetic health of forest fig trees

Ficus trees are an essential source of food in forests because they produce fruit year-round. However, South African forests have been fragmented into tiny pieces since before the ice ages.

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Grassroots research gives a voice to the plight of men at risk of a silent killer: prostate cancer

The Southern African Prostate Cancer Study, of which UP’s Prof Riana Bornman is clinical leader, uses a ‘grassroots to cloud’ approach to track the cause of prostate cancer in Southern African black men.

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The hunt for coronavirus variants: how the new one was found and what we know so far

Since early in the COVID pandemic, the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa has been monitoring changes in SARS-CoV-2. This was a valuable tool to understand better how the virus spread. In late 2020, the network detected a new virus lineage, 501Y.V2, which later became known as the beta variant. Now a new SARS-CoV-2 variant has been identified – B.1.1.529. The World Health...