Featured Research: Environment

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Save our seas

Climate change and commercial fishing is putting Earth’s most southern waters – and the planet itself – at risk. UP macro-ecologist Dr Luis Pertierra has joined the global call to better protect the Southern Ocean by banning fishing in Antarctic waters, among other measures.

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Breast cancer awareness in the genomic landscape

Researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) are making today matter by battling aggressive breast cancer through identifying genes that make African women more susceptible to certain forms of breast cancer. However, this is no easy task as very little genomic information is known about African populations. This is just one of UP's research projects that aim to ensure that there is a clear...

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UP part of international study that reveals role of termites in earth’s carbon cycle

The University of Pretoria (UP) recently participated in an international study led by the University of Miami to investigate termite and microbial wood discovery and decay. Termites release carbon from the wood as methane and carbon dioxide, which are two of the most important greenhouse gases and may increasingly contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions with climate change.

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Termites' sensitivity to temperature affects global wood decay rate

Through this study, researchers learned that termites are pivotal when it comes to breaking down wood, contributing to the earth’s carbon cycle. They also discovered that termites are significantly sensitive to temperature and rainfall; this means that as temperatures rise, the insect’s role in wood decay will likely expand beyond the tropics.

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Smallholder farmers are aware of climate change, but are still struggling to adapt

Smallholder farmers are the most in touch with the earth’s changing climate patterns, and they are the most vulnerable to increased temperatures and reduced rainfall.

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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.