News | University of Cape Town

Dedicated cruise deepens offshore research capacity in SA

Two PhD students from UCT were part of a team of marine scientists who embarked on an offshore expedition to develop the capacity of young southern African scientists and to collect data in outer shelf and deep-sea habitats.

Long in the tooth: Ancient proteins illuminate deep-time species evolution

A public seminar titled “Reconstructing Deep-Time Evolution Using Palaeoproteomics” was held at UCT and hosted by the university’s Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI).

Call for Speakers for Soapbox Science 2023

The call for speakers for Soapbox Science http://soapboxscience.org/this-year/ will close on the 28th of February 2023. The 12 selected speakers will be trained in public speaking so sign up now.

Cape Town's water: heading in the wrong direction

Capetonians need heed the warning of Day Zero in 2018 if another water crisis is to be averted.

Remembering Professor Mathieu Rouault

It is with heartfelt sympathy that we write to inform you of the passing of our colleague, Professor Mathieu Rouault (61), on 17 January 2023.

Elephant poaching rates vary across Africa: 19 years of data from 64 sites suggest why

Illegal killing for ivory continues to threaten African elephants. In a recently released paper Dr Tim Kuiper from UCT and Professor Tasso Leventis from Oxford University investigated why poaching rates vary so widely across Africa.

Environmental & Geographical Science’s Professor Mike Meadows elected to prestigious International Science Council

Emeritus Professor Mike Meadows has been elected as a fellow of the International Science Council. The ISC Fellowship recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to the promotion of science as a global public good.

Milestone for Chibale: first ACS editor-in-chief from Africa

Professor Kelly Chibale, UCT's Neville Isdell Chair in African-centric Drug Discovery and Development, has made history: he is the first editor-in-chief from Africa of an American Chemical Society (ACS) publication.

Endangered humpback dolphins more vulnerable than previously thought in South African waters

A recent study published in Integrative Zoology demonstrated a high incidence of abnormal beak (rostrum) conditions in South African humpback dolphins, highlighting a previously unreported threat to this endangered population.

Farrant’s life’s work recognised with coveted German award

Professor Jill Farrant, the world’s leading expert on resurrection plants and University of Cape Town (UCT) A-rated researcher, has been named as a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s coveted Georg Forster Research Award.

Nobel in Africa at UCT

As part of the Nobel in Africa symposia series, UCT's Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (MAM) hosted Professor Viatcheslav Mukhanov for a public lecture on his work in cosmology and theory of the quantum universe.

New research: Cancer drug potential to prevent malaria

A cancer drug has shown the potential to protect from, cure and prevent transmission of malaria. The breakthrough finding by the UCT researchers, offers new hope against a disease that kills over half a million people annually.