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UCT researchers unlock butterfly lily's genetic secret The inner genetic secrets of how the flowers of butterfly lilies break left-right symmetry have been revealed for the first time in a paper published in the prestigious journal Science. An international team of scientists, including researchers and students from the University of Cape Town (UCT), has answered this century-old evolutionary curiosity, noted by an English naturalist and biologist Charles Darwin, nine days before his death, in a letter addressed to a professor of natural science at Tabor College, James E. Todd, in America. 31 Jul 2026 Media release

Asymptomatic TB: A hidden challenge for TB control Asymptomatic TB is common and biologically more complex than previously understood, with implications for tuberculosis (TB) treatment and care strategies. This is according to University of Cape Town (UCT) researchers, who have published new findings in the journal Nature Communications that challenge current approaches to TB detection and control in South Africa. 29 Jul 2026 Media release

Husband and wife duo delivers UCT’s first-ever joint inaugural lecture The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) first-ever dual inaugural lecture by Professors Joel Dave and his wife and colleague, Nicola Wearne was a celebration of their wins as clinician scholars – serving patients at one of the largest tertiary hospitals in the country, teaching and learning from their students and mentors while immersing themselves in the ongoing research that shaped their careers in academia. 29 Jul 2026 Media release

UCT academic to represent SA at World Tennis Masters Championships A University of Cape Town (UCT) academic, Dr Zamambo Mkhize, has been selected to represent South Africa at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Masters Tour World Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, where she will compete against some of the world's top Masters players in August 2026. 28 Jul 2026 Media release

Browner skua territories recorded on Marion Island – but their coastward shift puzzles scientists More than three decades after South Africa celebrated the successful eradication of feral cats from Marion Island, the gradual recovery of native burrowing petrels might have been expected to support an increase in brown skua breeding territories inland. 28 Jul 2026 Media release

New global dataset maps coastal World Heritage Sites under threat from rising seas From the Sydney Opera House to the ancient marshlands of southern Iraq, thousands of the world's most treasured heritage sites sit close enough to the coast to face growing exposure to flooding and erosion as sea levels rise. Until now, no publicly available dataset existed to show, at a global scale and in fine spatial detail, exactly where these sites are and how far their boundaries extend. 27 Jul 2026 Media release

Projected 70% of population growth by 2025 to occur in the Global South, raising water security challenges By 2050, 60% of global economic growth and 70% of global population growth are expected to occur in the Global South, with Africa playing a significant role in driving these changes. 23 Jul 2026 Media release

UCT joins international effort to accelerate hepatitis B elimination in Africa Researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) are part of a major international project that aims to accelerate progress towards eliminating hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Africa by generating evidence to guide the expansion of treatment in endemic regions. 23 Jul 2026 Media release

UCT clinicians warn of potential dangers in pre-workout supplements An adult patient who recently presented to the emergency unit with chest pain, racing heart and difficulty breathing after consuming a pre-workout supplement and an energy drink has prompted University of Cape Town (UCT) clinicians to call for tighter oversight of a fast-growing but lightly regulated market. 22 Jul 2026 Media release

UCT lecture to explore how apps shape feeling, visibility and participation Moving from early work on MXit and Facebook to more recent scholarship on social media, platform power and app cultures, University of Cape Town (UCT) Professor Tanja Bosch’s inaugural lecture will explore how platforms function not simply as technologies that mediate communication, but as affective infrastructures that shape feeling, visibility and participation. 21 Jul 2026 Media release

Warm Agulhas Current found to fuel Western Cape’s worst flood-producing storms For communities across the Western Cape, cut-off low weather systems are a familiar threat. They can dump torrents of rain in a matter of hours, flooding roads, damaging homes and infrastructure, and in worst cases, causing loss of lives. What scientists have long wanted to understand is why some of these storms turn so destructive, and r esearchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) found that the answer lies far offshore, in the warm waters of the Agulhas Current. 20 Jul 2026 Media release

Partnership, mentorship and inclusion to take centre stage at UCT’s first joint inaugural lecture The most meaningful legacy is not what individuals achieve for themselves, but what they enable others to become. 15 Jul 2026 Media release

Geoengineering alone won’t save Africa from deadly heat, UCT study finds A new study led by researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) found that stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) – a technology designed to cool the planet by reflecting sunlight into space – could substantially reduce Africa’s soaring temperatures, but it would not be enough to shield the continent from the growing risks of heat stress. 14 Jul 2026 Media release

UCT helps South Africa defend CUCSA championship title University of Cape Town (UCT) staff and students recently played a pivotal role in helping Team South Africa retain the 2026 Confederation of Universities and Colleges Sports Association (CUCSA) games title, with UCT officials leading the national delegation and coaching championship-winning teams in Botswana. 14 Jul 2026 Media release

UCT professor shines light on fertility crisis in new documentary As fertility rates continue to decline worldwide and an estimated one in six people experience infertility during their lifetime, a University of Cape Town (UCT) academic is helping to bring greater attention to one of the emerging environmental factors linked to reproductive health. 14 Jul 2026 Media release

Parenting programmes reduce violence against teenage girls by over 60% – UCT study A University of Cape Town (UCT) study in collaboration with the University of Oxford has found that parenting programmes, when delivered at scale, cut physical abuse against girls by 65% and emotional abuse by 59%. Published in the journal BMJ Global Health , the study was conducted in eight African countries. 14 Jul 2026 Media release

UCT hotel earns top sustainability international recognition The University of Cape Town (UCT) has strengthened its commitment to environmental sustainability after its Protea Hotel by Marriott Breakwater Lodge received the internationally recognised Green Key certification. 13 Jul 2026 Media release

Chief Justice Maya tells UCT conference judicial leadership will shape constitutional democracy As constitutional democracies around the world come under increasing pressure, South Africa's Chief Justice Mandisa Maya has called for courageous, independent and accountable judicial leadership to safeguard the country's constitutional future. 07 Jul 2026 Media release

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