Researchers identified three genetic regions strongly associated with increased prostate incidence in a diverse group of African men. The study, the largest of its kind in Africa, may lead to new treatment possibilities and refined screening methods.
The painting in the La Belle France cave is believed to be the world's oldest known piece of paleo-art depicting an extinct mammal-like reptile called a dicynodont. The San people were engaging in palaeontology long before Western scientists, and their artwork provides compelling evidence of this.
Scientists studied multiple fossil specimens of Moschorhinus kitchingi to understand how it evolved its body structure to withstand extreme conditions. The research suggests that its robust skeleton and powerful build gave it an advantage in the late Permian period.
The BePRECISE consortium has developed comprehensive guidelines to improve the accuracy, safety, and health equity of precision medicine research. The guidelines, which include a standardized checklist with 23 items, aim to promote transparency, inclusivity, and high-quality research practices in the field.
Researchers extracted sediment cores from a diatomite outcrop in the Lesotho Highlands to reveal a small but persistent shallow lake thriving between 4600 and 100 years ago. The lake's existence was confirmed by rainfall analysis, topographic studies, and microscopic examination of diatoms.
A nearly complete 3-meter-long skeleton of a giant basal tetrapod, named Gaiasia jennyae, was found in Namibia's arid heartland. The discovery provides crucial insights into the early evolution of land-dwelling animals and shows that southern continents are important for future research.
Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand have developed a modified BCG vaccine that shows enhanced protection against tuberculosis in mice. The new vaccine candidate could potentially replace or boost existing TB vaccines, providing a novel solution to the global health crisis.
The discovery of Musankwa sanyatiensis, a Late Triassic sauropodomorph dinosaur from Zimbabwe, highlights the region's untapped potential for paleontological discoveries. The fossil find, named after a houseboat used by researchers, provides unique insights into the evolution of dinosaurs and ecosystems.
A recent study found that Mozambique's Maniamba Basin has a high total organic carbon content, indicating its potential for generating hydrocarbons. The research identified mixed kerogen types, primarily of terrestrial origin, suggesting the basin's rocks were once lush with vegetation typical of Gondwana ecosystem.
A new study reveals the presence of previously unknown species at Kromdraai archaeological site in South Africa, providing unprecedented insights into human evolution. The discovery highlights the complexity of ancient ecosystems and their influence on hominin development.
A new species of fossil paederine rove beetle, Mesostaphylinus orapa, has been discovered in the Orapa Diamond Mine in Botswana, dating back to around 90 million years ago. The finding enhances our understanding of beetle evolution and distribution.
Researchers found that male and female dung beetles work together to transport brood balls to a location unknown to either party. This cooperation results in greater transport efficiency, particularly in the face of obstacles. The mechanism behind this coordination is currently not fully understood.
Researchers have demonstrated a connection between quantum entanglement and topology, allowing for the preservation of quantum information even when entanglement is fragile. This breakthrough enables a new encoding mechanism that utilizes entanglement to encode quantum information in scenarios with minimal entanglement.
The new position will focus on quantum information processing, particularly communication and computation. Dr. Nape brings prestigious accolades, including the SAIP Silver Medal and recognition on the Top 200 Young South Africans list.
Scientists have successfully teleported the highest dimensionality of information across a network securely using only light. The research uses a nonlinear optical detector that circumvents the need for additional photons, allowing for the secure transmission of complex systems like fingerprints or faces without physical transport.
Researchers investigate whether dark matter particles are produced inside a jet of standard model particles. Their new detector signature, semi-visible jets, opens up new directions into looking for Dark Matter.
A team of scientists discovered that the Malvinoxhosan biota, a group of extinct shellfish, declined in numbers due to rising sea levels and warming climate. The research suggests that these changes led to a collapse in polar ecosystems, highlighting the vulnerability of environments to environmental shifts.
A team of experts analyzed ancient diamonds formed between 650 and 450 million years ago, providing new processes for how continents evolved and moved. The research sheds light on the supercontinent cycle and offers a direct window into Earth's deep workings.
New research on fossil crocodile ancestors finds they exhibited slow growth rates similar to modern-day crocodilians. The discovery challenges prevailing wisdom on the evolution of slow growth in living crocodiles.
A groundbreaking study finds that microbial life can exist without plate tectonics, challenging a fundamental theory of geology. Zircon crystals from the Barberton Greenstone Belt reveal a stagnant lid regime on ancient Earth, leading to continent formation and potentially habitable conditions.
An international expert panel has revised concussion management guidelines to optimize athlete care at all levels of participation. The updated recommendations include new age-appropriate assessment tools and strategies for prevention, early intervention, rehabilitation, and return to sport and education.
Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand have outlined a new optical communication protocol that exploits spatial patterns of light for multi-dimensional encoding without recognizing them. This approach results in over 50 vectorial patterns of light being sent virtually noise-free across a turbulent atmosphere.
Researchers discovered similar volcanic activity in the Singhbhum Craton of India, which shares a geologic history with parts of South Africa and Australia. The study reveals sub-marine volcanic eruptions and sedimentary rocks formed approximately 3.5 billion years ago, providing insights into early Earth processes.
A new study reconstructs the history of floods in KZN since 1840s, confirming that the April 2022 floods were likely the most catastrophic natural disaster ever recorded. The floods had a significant impact on lives lost, homes and infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and economic loss.
The MATISSE study found that administering the Pfizer Bivalent Prefusion F Vaccine in pregnancy reduces severe RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection by 82% in infants aged six months old. This vaccine is particularly important in low- and middle-income countries where the burden of RSV illness is highest.
A study by civil engineers at Wits University found that the Jagersfontein dam deviated from best engineering practice, with mine waste deposition on one side and significant erosion gullies. The study uses public satellite images to investigate the history of the dam and provides insights for preventing future failures
Scientists have created a method to detect phase in objects using quantum light and a single pixel detector, revealing internal structure and thickness information. This technique has potential applications in biological imaging, quantum metrology, and LIGO-like detection of gravitational waves.
A study found that many South African mothers introduce formula prematurely due to misinterpreting normal baby behavior, highlighting the need for better support. The study also critiques the formula industry's exploitative marketing tactics and their influence on public policy.
Researchers from University of the Witwatersrand developed a new approach to studying complex light in complex systems. They found distortion-free forms of structured light that emerge undistorted from noisy channels, unlike other forms of structured light which become unrecognizable. This breakthrough has the potential to pave the wa...
A new study warns that climate change will negatively impact mountain landscapes and human activity, increasing risks of natural hazards like avalanches and river floods. Mountain communities are also affected, with traditional practices like transhumance and agriculture dying out due to changing weather patterns and water scarcity.
Researchers found that basaltic magma chambers can grow extremely rapidly, with rates of hundreds to thousands of meters per year, producing large, well-differentiated intrusions. This challenges current understanding of slow growth rates for such formations and suggests a new perspective on the formation of layered mafic intrusions.
Researchers have found evidence for a massive, molten chamber within the ancient crust of South Africa, contradicting recent views on the existence and longevity of such structures. The discovery suggests that 'big tank' magma chambers may be more common than thought, with implications for our understanding of Earth's geological history.
Grassland restoration requires long-term approaches and a deep understanding of ancient ecosystems to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services. The authors propose three considerations to guide restoration interventions, including re-establishing feedbacks among disturbance, vegetation, and belowground soil development.
A team of international scientists found that endothermy appeared in mammalian ancestors about 233 million years ago, well before the origin of mammals. Fossils from South Africa's Karoo region played a key role in this discovery, providing an unbroken record of life's evolution.
A study found that widely-used kidney function tests are inaccurate for predicting kidney disease in African populations, suggesting a significant underestimation of kidney disease prevalence. The creatinine-based test was shown to be less effective due to unique biological characteristics in African populations, while the cystatin C t...
Fossils from Sterkfontein Caves in South Africa reveal nearly four million years of hominin evolution. The new ages of Australopithecus-bearing deposits place the South African hominins as contemporaries of other early species, like Australopithecus afarensis, in east Africa.
A team of researchers has discovered a property of light that remains unchanged in complex media, allowing for distortion-free communication and sensing. By applying a novel quantum approach, they showed that all light has this invariant property, which can be exploited to correct distortions without losing any light.
The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration has captured the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. The image reveals a dark central region surrounded by a bright ring-like structure, indicating the presence of a massive object four million times more massive than our Sun.
The Bushveld Complex functioned as a gigantic magma body, with a column of melt likely several km thick, contradicting the prevailing theory of non-existent large, long-lived and largely molten magma chambers. This discovery was made possible by 3D high-resolution X-ray computed tomography studies of chromitite.
New lumbar vertebrae from a two-million-year-old fossil provide insight into how Australopithecus sediba walked and climbed. The discovery confirms the species used its upper limbs to climb like apes, while its lower limbs were adapted for walking like humans.
Researchers discover partial skull of 4-6 year old Homo naledi child, providing insight into species' growth and development. The skull, named Leti, consists of 28 fragments and six teeth, with estimated brain size comparable to adult members.
Researchers developed a tool to investigate cause of death when skeletonised remains are recovered, providing a breakthrough in forensic lightning pathology. The study identified unique markers of lightning damage deep within the human skeleton, allowing for recognition of lightning strikes even when only dry bone survives.
A new study led by Dr. Claudia Tocco found that elevated CO2 levels directly impact the development and survival of tunnelling dung beetles. The study reveals that beetles grown under heightened CO2 levels experience lower survival rates and are smaller in size compared to those raised under pre-industrial conditions.
A recent study by Wits University scientists reveals that elevated atmospheric CO2 has detrimental effects on dung beetle development. The findings suggest that increased CO2 levels may contribute to the decline in insect populations.
Researchers at the University of Witwatersrand have developed a new approach to probing high-dimensional quantum states, reducing measurement time from decades to minutes. The method enables faster quantum computing and communication by determining key parameters such as dimensionality and purity of the quantum state.
A new study found that Massospondylus carinatus, a medium-sized southern African dinosaur, had growth variations from year to year. The dinosaur's growth directly responded to environmental conditions, with significant increases in good years and minimal growth in bad years.
A new study found that the tiny desert-living dinosaur Shuvuuia had extraordinary vision and owl-like hearing for nocturnal life in the Mongolian desert. The team measured the size of the eyes and inner ears of over 100 bird and dinosaur species, revealing that Shuvuuia's lagena was almost identical in relative size to today's barn owl.
The Novavax Covid-19 vaccine demonstrated an overall efficacy of 49% in the initial analysis and 60% among healthy adults without HIV, providing protection against mild disease caused by the B.1.351 variant prevalent in South Africa. The updated analysis showed 100% protection against severe Covid-19 due to the B.1.351 variant.
A recent study has found that South-Eastern Bantu-speaking groups are genetically diverse, with distinct languages and histories, and cannot be treated as a single entity in disease research. This discovery may lead to more accurate genetic analysis and better understanding of complex diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
A study by PRICELESS-SA found a 51% reduction in sugar, 52% reduction in calories, and 29% reduction in volume of taxed beverages. The tax led to changes in consumer behavior, with lower-income households experiencing larger reductions in purchases.