UP Research Matters

UNTAPPED ENERGY: A study by UP scientists on how to develop natural hydrogen gas discovered in Mpumalanga as a potential energy source heralds a green future for all. “There might be an untapped renewable, non-polluting energy supply that has gone unnoticed for centuries, right under our noses!” says structural geologist Prof Adam Bumby. Find out more on page 2, Issue 8 of UP’s ‘ReSEARCH’ magazine: https://ow.ly/X2Bf50TXXby

READ ALL ABOUT IT! At UP, we’re in the business of doing research for real-world impact. Find out what we’re up to in our labs, libraries and out in the field in ‘ReSEARCH’, our multimedia-rich magazine that details a cross-section of some of the research that we do. From finding solutions to pollution to exploring the metaverse, we’re on a mission to make a difference. Visit https://ow.ly/Srk250TUlf9

Play with your food: gaming can show youth how to level up their health SPONSORED | University of Pretoria study reveals how video games that incorporate food literacy can empower Gen Alpha to make better food choices

HOLISTIC HEALING: Based on her personal experience of confronting a life-threatening illness, a UP researcher contemplates whether a healthcare professional’s awareness of spirituality holds the key to unlocking untapped potential during the healing process. Find out more on page 16, Issue 9 of UP’s ‘ReSEARCH’ magazine: https://ow.ly/pnpE50TRzw2

UP Prof Ramoelo says demand for satellite data in South Africa and the rest of the continent is booming, among researchers and users alike, including farmers. He called on Africans to develop their own satellite capabilities: https://ow.ly/LBpk50THQhn

UP master’s student Yoliswa Mkhize, co-supervised by UP professors Abel Ramoelo and Moses Azong Cho, wrangled images taken by Sentinel-2 satellite into simple maps that can easily distinguish between weeds and maize: https://ow.ly/hbIz50THP4m

PUTTING MAIZE ON THE MAP: Researchers from UP and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research have produced and published maps of smallholder farms in Gauteng that highlight maize plants in green and weeds in red. The maps will enable farmers to pinpoint and eradicate weeds with precision. Read more: https://ow.ly/a63n50THNYU

RE.SEARCH 9: What if? Read more in our latest issue of our multimedia-rich magazine. This edition highlights research which encourages us to think afresh to make today matter. We are spurred on by enquiry that is rooted in wanting to unpack real-life issues and solve problems for the betterment of our world in the future. Click on the cover to open at: www.up.ac.za/research-matters/magazine

WHAT IF WE THOUGHT DIFFERENTLY? At UP, we’re in the business of doing research for real-world impact. ReSEARCH 9 is available online! This multimedia-rich magazine that details a cross-section of some of the research that we do. From finding solutions to pollution to exploring the metaverse, we’re on a mission to make a difference. Visit https://indd.adobe.com/view/6745ad16-0a93-4644-a58f-349171805ef2

UP researchers have made yet another gain in the fight against rhino poaching. Their discovery that a rhino’s ‘third eyelid’ is the most reliable site to attach a pulse oximeter to monitor blood oxygen levels strengthens the animal’s response to immobilising drugs used during dehorning and relocation. “This new research improves our ability to ensure the well-being of rhinos in the field,” researcher Dr Thembeka Mtetwa says. Read more about this groundbreaking study: https://ow.ly/OgZW50SXs1o

📷Zirk Janssen Photography

CLEARING THE AIR: "Young children in Krugersdorp are breathing in uranium, arsenic and mercury fumes wafting over from abandoned legacy mines, while pollutants are seeping into the groundwater and nearby rivers, dams and lakes,” says UP’s Dr Alseno Mosai. Read more: https://ow.ly/q6jP50SvuuE

CLEARING THE AIR: "Young children in Krugersdorp are breathing in uranium, arsenic and mercury fumes wafting over from abandoned legacy mines, while pollutants are seeping into the groundwater and nearby rivers, dams and lakes,” says UP’s Dr Alseno Mosai. Read more: https://ow.ly/8CPb50Svctn

Techno-stress – the constant presence and change of information and communications technology in digitised workplaces – is a growing phenomenon that significantly affects the well-being of employees. Read more by UP experts: https://ow.ly/pyJt50Suusp

Prof Nasima Carrim's research has revealed the discriminatory effects of office gossip on black gay and le***an South Africans and the significant challenges faced by these individuals in South African workplaces. Learn more about what companies can do to foster inclusivity: https://ow.ly/ostJ50Slzg7

AWESOME WORK: UP surgeons have made history by fitting a young Rottweiler with an artificial foot, marking the first known successful intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prosthesis surgery in South Africa. “We have replaced the prosthesis twice in four months, but we’re designing a more robust one that would hopefully last longer,” said lead surgeon Dr Klaas-Jan van de Wetering. Find out more on page 26, Issue 8 of UP’s ‘RE.SEARCH’ magazine: https://indd.adobe.com/view/31e87922-ec23-492d-9417-a821b6bdb4f2

RESEARCH FOR REAL-WORLD IMPACT: In ‘RE.SEARCH’, our multimedia-rich magazine, you can read about just some of the monumental discoveries that UP researchers are making to shape the future and create a brighter, more equitable tomorrow. Go to www.up.ac.za/research-matters/magazine

The UP mole rat lab is home to about eight species, many of which are unique to South Africa and exclusively studied there. International researchers working on more common global species like the naked mole rat often look to UP for evolutionary comparisons and cross-species studies. Read more
https://ow.ly/pC4550S8z6h

READ ALL ABOUT IT! At UP, we’re in the business of doing research for real-world impact. Find out what we’re up to in our labs, libraries and out in the field in ‘RE.SEARCH’, our multimedia-rich magazine that details a cross-section of some of the research that we do at UP. From finding new energy sources to innovative animal surgery, we’re on a mission to make a difference. Visit www.up.ac.za/research-matters/magazine

Connect with us! RE.SEARCH Issue 8 is available now. It features all nine faculties and demonstrates how we make today matter by connecting the research we do to creating a brighter future us all. Read more: https://indd.adobe.com/view/31e87922-ec23-492d-9417-a821b6bdb4f2

SPIDER SENSE: UP researchers have weaved their magic once again, after discovering nine new trapdoor spider species in the Great Karoo, along with the Agricultural Research Council! “It’s important to know as much about the region’s biodiversity as possible, given the potential that shale gas fracking, mining, farming and general land-use changes could have on the environment,” said one researcher. Read more: https://ow.ly/SGzg50RcfRO

FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND FINDING: A decade-long study by researchers at the University of Pretoria and Canada’s McGill University and Université Laval has found that environmental toxins, notably DDT, could alter the s***m epigenome, thereby affecting the health of the next generation. “It’s long been accepted that the environment is critical to child health and the well-being of the mother,” said study co-author Dr Janice Bailey of Université Laval. “We forget that half of that genome and epigenome comes from the father. What that epigenome does in embryo development is critical for normal development.” The use of DDT has especially grave consequences for those living in malaria-endemic areas. “We still depend on the use of DDT, and should look at safer alternatives and be innovative in our approach to eliminate malaria,” UP’s Prof Tiaan de Jager added. Read more: https://ow.ly/9Jik50QAjIq

GETTING SA WORKING: South Africa needs entrepreneurs to create employment. That’s why a UP study involving learners, university students and working adults is underway to identify which entrepreneurial competencies are needed for specific groups to create South Africa’s future workforce. Read more on page 30, Issue 6 of UP’s ‘RE.SEARCH’ magazine: https://indd.adobe.com/view/9cb1660d-2fc4-41ed-8e42-2e43ec469ec0

BLOWN AWAY! UP researchers are training their focus on an understudied driver of climate change: wind. They’re using Marion Island, a remote and exceptionally windy sub-Antarctic region, on which to model fine-scale wind patterns. Read more on page 10, Issue 4 of UP’s ‘RE.SEARCH’ magazine: https://indd.adobe.com/view/4c5cf9c2-250b-46c8-ad2d-115922042c55

FROM FOOD WASTE TO FASHION: The clothing industry uses 70 million tons of oil a year to make synthetic dyes. UP researchers have found a sustainable solution by extracting natural dyes from onion skins. “The problems related to food waste are driving our research,” said UP consumer and food sciences researcher Letsiwe Mabuza. Read more on page 22, Issue 3 of UP’s ‘RE.SEARCH’ magazine: https://indd.adobe.com/view/076ef024-0484-4593-974b-b54b7ffd9195