In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors at Tygerberg Hospital* implemented a daring, lesser-known treatment that not only bypassed the imminent ventilator shortage caused by the large number of critically ill patients, but potentially saved thousands of lives while also providing a more patient-friendly experience. In a research... Read more
UKZN Study finds Burnout, Anxiety and Depression High Amongst Medical Doctors IN KZN
KwaZulu-NatalLatest newsResearchUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal Oct 9, 2020
A UKZN study by Dr Thejini Naidoo, a psychiatry registrar based at the King Edward VIII hospital; found a high prevalence of burnout, anxiety and depression amongst medical doctors (MD’s) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Her study which was conducted in 5 public sector training hospitals in KZN, formed part of... Read more
Nedbank funds innovation-focused research chair at University of Johannesburg
AchieversLatest newsResearchUniversity of Johannesburg Oct 2, 2020
Building on a long-standing relationship focused on strengthening the link between academia and industry, Nedbank and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) have collaborated to establish a research chair. The new Nedbank Research Chair is headed up by Professor Terence van Zyl, a leading figure in data science, artificial intelligence... Read more
UP Whale Unit to gather data on dwindling southern right whale populations
Latest newsResearchUniversity of Pretoria Sep 29, 2020
The Whale Unit at the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute (MRI) will be conducting this year’s aerial survey of southern right whales from 28 September to mid-October. This is the 41st annual southern right whale photo-identification aerial survey, making it one of the longest-running datasets on any marine... Read more
Three South African universities are involved in a world-first research project that aims to understand how changes in the ocean influence the recovery of humpback whale populations in the Southern Hemisphere. During the previous century humpback whale populations were severely depleted by the modern whaling industry, with catches of... Read more
New framework to protect World Heritage Sites against invasive species
Latest newsResearchStellenbosch UniversityWestern Cape Sep 24, 2020
A team of international scientists, including three researchers affiliated with the Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB) at Stellenbosch University, came up with a new monitoring and reporting framework to help protect World Heritage Sites (WHS) from almost 300 different invasive alien species (microorganisms, animals and plants) that... Read more
UKZN and DUT join Forces to Tackle COVID-19 through Medicinal Plant Research
AchieversKwaZulu-NatalLatest newsResearchUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal Sep 22, 2020
Scientists from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and the Durban University of Technology (DUT) have come together to identify bioactive compounds from South African plants that could potentially be effective in the treatment against SARS-CoV-2. The first phase of the research project titled, ‘Identification of potential SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors from... Read more
SU involved in testing a ‘promising’ Covid-19 vaccine
Latest newsResearchStellenbosch UniversityWestern Cape Sep 22, 2020
Stellenbosch University (SU) is part of a large international research trial testing one of the most promising Covid-19 vaccine candidates currently available. This vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) was developed by Oxford University in the United Kingdom (UK) and is currently being tested at seven sites in South Africa, along with... Read more
UP academics on how best to support dementia sufferers
GautengLatest newsResearchUniversity of Pretoria Sep 22, 2020
By Adele May, PhD candidate at the University of Pretoria (UP), and Professor Shakila Dada of the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication at UP. The thought of having our memories erased and being unable to recognise the people we cherish would elicit fear in most individuals. For adults... Read more
Hummingbirds drop body temperature to near freezing point
GautengLatest newsResearchUniversity of Pretoria Sep 17, 2020
A University of Pretoria (UP) professor of zoology was part of a team that recently published a study that reveals that tiny hummingbirds living in the Andes Mountains in Peru drop their body temperature from 40°C to 3.3°C, near freezing point, to survive bitterly cold nights. “It is the... Read more
