Elite athletes must be in tip-top shape, while also dealing with the intense pressures that come with competing at the highest level. This can affect their mental health. Therefore, mental health support for elite athletes requires a whole-system approach that combines proactive, individualised care with supportive training environments, strong... Read more

Although social media is known to affect people’s mental health, we lack a clear framework to determine whether symptoms related to depression spread through online networks or how to measure and track this process. Dr Kurt Marais, a lecturer in the Department of Logistics at Stellenbosch University (SU) who... Read more

As climate and environmental change continue to reshape ecosystems across the world, scientists are warning that mosquito-borne diseases may spread into new regions, become more frequent, and intensify in areas already under pressure. A major new international research grant awarded to Dr Monika Moir at the Centre for Epidemic... Read more

In South Africa, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and connected river systems could serve as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance, raising fresh concerns about how antimicrobial resistance moves through ecosystems and into human populations. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) refers to the ability of disease-causing microbes to withstand treatments. Antibiotic resistance—a type of... Read more

For the second year in a row, the Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University (SU), Prof Tulio de Oliveira, has secured a spot on the prestigious Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list for 2025, specifically in the Cross-Field category. This remarkable accomplishment places... Read more

A new African-led study finds that sub-Saharan Africa has already lost 24% of its biodiversity since pre-industrial times. This means that, on average, the populations of diverse plants and animals across the region have declined by nearly a quarter.  Some species, particularly large mammals, have declined much more severely, and... Read more

As South Africa’s mental health challenges rise, a pioneering research project is turning to an unexpected ally: the night sky. Researchers from Stellenbosch University’s (SU) CoCREATE Health Hub (a niche in the Division of Health Systems and Public Health) and the International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy for Development... Read more