Astronomers using the Event Horizon Telescope have observed polarised light around a black hole, showing that magnetic fields at its edge are strong enough to push back against hot gas and resist gravity's pull. This discovery helps explain how the M87 galaxy launches energetic jets from its core.
A landmark South African study validates the need for second-generation Covid-19 vaccines, as the AstraZeneca vaccine showed minimal protection against mild to moderate infections caused by the B.1.351 variant. Despite this, the WHO recommends continued deployment of the vaccine in countries where the variant circulates.
New fossil discoveries of ancient lamprey growth series overturn conventional wisdom on the origin of vertebrates, including humans. Ancient lamprey larvae were found to have large eyes and toothed suckers like adult phases, contradicting long-held ideas about their evolutionary history.
A new study reveals that the Anteosaurus, a 260-million-year-old predator, was capable of outrunning and tracking down its prey effectively due to its specialized nervous system and fine-tuned sensory organs. The research found that the animal's brain and balance organs were optimized for hunting swiftly and striking fast.
A recent study published in The Lancet found that targeted indoor residual spraying is a non-inferior and cost-effective approach to preventing malaria in low-transmission settings. By focusing on neighborhoods with recent evidence of transmission, this method reduces the need for widespread spraying and saves significant resources.
Scientists at Wits University infected mosquitoes with human malaria and identified a new chemical compound that shows promise in treating the disease. The study, published in Nature Communications, aimed to develop a drug that can block both human-to-mosquito transmission and mosquito-to-human transmission.
The Oxford Covid-19 vaccine has shown a 70.4% overall efficacy rate in phase 3 human trials, with the standard dose regimen showing 62.1% efficacy and the low dose regimen demonstrating 90.0% efficacy. No hospitalizations or severe disease were observed in vaccinated groups.
The study identified over 3 million novel variants in African genomes, showcasing the continent's vast genetic diversity. It also revealed complex patterns of ancestral mixing and natural selection, shedding light on population history, environmental adaptation, and disease susceptibility.
Research shows that Impala's mixed feeding strategy makes them abundant despite non-migratory nature, rivaling migratory grazers like wildebeest. This adaptation helps them thrive in savannas with seasonal food availability changes.
Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand have made a groundbreaking discovery in diamond, uncovering triplet spin superconductivity. This phenomenon has significant implications for the development of new technologies, including radiation detectors and advanced electronics.
The Ezintsha study found that newer regimens containing dolutegravir and tenofovir alafenamide demonstrate a large increase in weight, especially in women. The study showed that all three regimens were potent and well-tolerated by patients, but the newer regimens had more side effects and resistance benefits over older regimens.
The Phase 2 clinical trial will evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 in approximately 2,650 healthy adults and 240 medically stable HIV-positive adults. The trial aims to provide early data on vaccine protection against Covid-19 in South Africa.
Researchers found evidence of humans using grass bedding and ash layers to create comfortable areas for sleeping and working over 200,000 years ago. The study suggests that people used fire, ash, and medicinal plants to maintain clean and pest-free camps.
A new vaccine against RSV could protect infants under six months old against severe illness and death. Infants born to mothers from low- and middle-income countries were particularly well-protected by the vaccine, with hospitalization rates 53% lower for RSV LRTI.
A recent study using 2.7 million human activity records found that humans have extensively used Antarctica over the last 200 years, with only 16% of Important Bird Areas located within negligibly impacted areas. This highlights the need for swift action to declare new protected areas and conserve biodiversity.
Research reveals that aardvarks feeding in daylight during droughts may be starving due to lack of food. A long-term study showed that drought caused a shift from nighttime to daytime activity, which was not enough to save the aardvarks from starvation.
Researchers challenge long-held idea that magma chambers are composed mostly of crystals. A new study reveals large basaltic magma chambers may be entirely liquid-dominated.
Researchers have demonstrated a new metasurface laser that produces 'super-chiral light' with ultra-high angular momentum, enabling control over optical communications and applications in industries like food, computer, and biomedical. The laser design allows for high power operation in a compact design.
Researchers in Namibia demonstrated the effectiveness of targeting high-risk individuals with anti-malarial drugs and insecticide spraying to reduce malaria transmission. The trial, conducted in a low-endemic setting, showed a significant reduction in cases by up to 75%.
The Wits Journal of Clinical Medicine published the first clinical data on COVID-19 in South Africa, covering various aspects of the pandemic. The special issue includes articles on diagnosis, ethics, social dimensions, and herd immunity as a strategy for fighting COVID-19.
Researchers have found that excess minerals in these rocks originate from feeder conduits, where magma interacts with cold sidewalls and crystallises. This approach has great promise for solving petrological problems of magmatic complexes.
Researchers analyzed the skull of 'Little Foot', a 3.67 million-year-old Australopithecus species, to understand its lifestyle. The study found that 'Little Foot' had head movements different from modern humans and could climb trees regularly.
Geologists from Wits University have found a mechanism that generates melts saturated in plagioclase alone, leading to the formation of monomineralic layers. These unique rock formations are common in layered intrusions worldwide and hold significant value for glass fibre manufacturing.
A new framework guides the management of terrestrial invasive species in South Africa, prioritizing targets in control efforts. The approach combines big data and citizen science, focusing on poorer municipalities most impacted by invasive weeds.
A team from Wits and HUST shows that multiple quantum patterns of twisted light can be transmitted across a conventional fibre link, enabling a new approach to realising a future quantum network. The researchers demonstrated transfer of multi-dimensional entanglement states over 250m of single-mode fibre.
Researchers discovered that early modern humans cooked starchy plants, including Hypoxis rhizomes, in the Border Cave in South Africa. The discovery suggests that these ancient humans shared food and used wooden digging sticks to extract the plants.
Using patterns of light, scientists aim to build a faster and more secure quantum network. The research could lead to higher information capacity and stronger security in quantum protocols.
Scientists warn that large-scale afforestation in African savannas will destroy valuable ecological, agricultural, and tourist areas. The plan, aimed at mitigating climate change, is considered irresponsible due to its potential to increase wildfire intensity and exacerbate global warming.
Ancient rauisuchian fossils found in southern Africa reveal that these croc-like predators fed on vegetarian dinosaurs during the Triassic period. The discovery sheds light on how these carnivores thrived in a region close to the Antarctic Circle, challenging previous assumptions about their physiology.
A study published in Science found that acting on climate change can have a significant return on investment, avoiding damages to people, infrastructure, and ecosystems. The research suggests that rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
A team of green chemists from the University of the Witwatersrand has developed a sustainable method to produce potential sunscreens using cashew nut shells. The new aromatic compounds show good UVA and UVB absorbance, protecting humans, livestock, and polymers from harmful sun rays.
A new species of early dinosaur, Ngwevu intloko, has been discovered after being misidentified in the university's fossil vaults. The dinosaur is a bipedal sauropodomorph with a long slender neck and small head, measuring three metres from snout to tail.
A team of scientists used a microscopic drop of ancient seawater to show that plate tectonics on Earth began 3.3 billion years ago, 600 million years before the previous estimate. This discovery provides insight into the first stages of plate tectonics and the start of stable continental crust.
The ADVANCE study found that dolutegravir-containing regimens perform as well as the current efavirenz-containing one used for first-line antiretroviral treatment in South Africa, with minimal side effects and a greater resistance barrier. The new regimens are cheaper and may revolutionize ART in South Africa and beyond.
Researchers have discovered that dung beetles use a wind compass and sun compass to navigate, switching between the two depending on the condition. The insects' brains adapt dynamically to the environment, allowing them to make informed decisions.
Researchers have discovered that platinum crystals grow directly on the floor of magma chambers, contradicting a long-held theory. This finding has significant implications for understanding the formation of other precious metal deposits.
Researchers discovered charred food remains at the Klasies River Cave in South Africa, indicating early humans were roasting plant starches from tubers and rhizomes as far back as 120,000 years ago. This finding supports the hypothesis that the duplication of starch digestion genes is an adaptive response to a high-starch diet.
The study found that high parenting support, government cash transfers, and safe schools were associated with positive outcomes for targets in at least three Sustainable Development Goals. The UN's development approach was validated as an effective solution to maximize positive policy impacts.
Researchers have found no rebound of HIV in two patients who stopped taking their medication after receiving stem cell transplants, providing crucial insights into the potential mechanisms of cure. The transplanted donor cells had a gene defect that made it difficult for HIV to infect cells, offering new hope for developing a cure.
Researchers found that ancient asteroid impacts played a crucial role in creating the early evolved crust on Earth, which later gave rise to continents. The impact melts produced layered magmatic intrusions and made the crust more evolutionarily complex.
Researchers demonstrate fractal light creation using laser technology, confirming a long-held prediction. The discovery has potential applications in various fields, including imaging and medicine.
The endocast of Australopithecus fossil Little Foot shows a brain with asymmetrical structures similar to modern humans, but also features distinct from us, including an expanded visual cortex and reduced parietal association cortex. This suggests that the brain's complexity evolved over time in response to environmental pressures.
The UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration and Health debunks common misconceptions about migration's impact on public health and economies. It highlights the significant economic benefits of migration, including increased GDP per person in advanced economies.
Wits physicists have developed a new device for manipulating and moving tiny objects, such as single cells in a human body or tiny particles in small volume chemistry, using the full beam of laser light. The device uses vector holographic trapping and tweezing to control and manipulate minute objects with high precision.
Experts analyzed stone tools from the Klipdrift Shelter and Diepkloof Rock Shelter, finding similarities between them. The findings suggest a networked interaction between distant communities during the Middle Stone Age.
In a groundbreaking operation, doctors at the University of Witwatersrand performed the world's first intentional liver transplant from an HIV-positive mother to her HIV-negative child. The successful transplant has raised hopes for using this method to save additional lives. However, the team is now unsure of the child's HIV status.
Ledumahadi mafube, a 12-tonne giant plant-eater, was the largest land animal alive when it lived nearly 200 million years ago. The new species' fossil reveals insights into its evolution and geographic history.
A 73,000-year-old drawing made on a silcrete flake in Blombos Cave, South Africa, is the oldest known example of human-made art. The team used various techniques, including microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, to confirm that the lines were applied to the stone.
A new protein called emicizumab, administered via subcutaneous injection, has shown significant reductions in bleeding episodes in patients with haemophilia A. Weekly and fortnightly dosing regimens have been found to reduce bleed rates by 96% and 97%, respectively.
The discovery of Bannykus and Xiyunykus provides significant insights into the evolution of alvarezsaurs, an enigmatic group of theropod dinosaurs. The fossils reveal transitional steps in their adaptation to new diets, showing that these dinosaurs evolved short arms only later in their evolutionary history.