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Wamkelekile, Welkom
Wamkelekile, Welkom
Telemedicine increases access to safe abortion care – new research
Ground-breaking research into accessing safe abortion services in South Africa has revealed that telemedicine abortion is safe and effective, and a viable alternative to the conventional medical procedure, especially for women in under-resourced settings.
29 Sep 2022
Early modern humans in Africa used high-tech adhesives extracted from a local conifer
In the Middle Stone Age, early Homo sapiens in South Africa used glue made from local Podocarpus trees to attach stone tools to wooden spears. This glue has excellent adhesive properties and can only be produced in an elaborate process, according to scientists from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of Tübingen, who mapped out the production in a study published in the latest edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
28 Sep 2022
Unveiling a new large-bodied sabretooth cat that roamed the West Coast of South Africa
New research sheds light on carnivoran diversity and diseases that afflicted sabretooth cats over five-million-years-ago. The fossils studied were from the Mio-Pliocene (5.2 million years ago) fossil site called Langebaanweg (West Coast Fossil Park) on the West Coast of South Africa where at least three different types of sabretooth cats have been recovered.
27 Sep 2022
UCT’s art curators aim for Africa-centred, representative collection
At the centre of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) cultural heritage is a disparate 1 400-piece art collection by over 700 artists, accumulated over decades. Some works have been donated, some acquired, and others bequeathed. But there are glaring gaps in the collection that must be addressed, said the Works of Art Collection (WOAC) committee chairperson, Associate Professor Nomusa Makhubu.
23 Sep 2022
Heritage Day: reflecting on the knowledge systems of the Khoi and San
Associate Professor June Bam-Hutchison found out her mother could speak Khoekhoegowab when the matriarch was in her 70s. Until then, ausi May’s ability to speak in clicks and the reason she bore two striped knowledge marks on her left upper arm were hidden, never spoken of.
23 Sep 2022
Raising awareness on childhood cancers save lives
The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Associate Professor Marc Hendricks is leading an important nationwide call for action: to increase much-needed awareness on childhood cancers to catapult early diagnosis and treatment and improve outcomes for children living with cancer in the country, on the continent and around the world.
20 Sep 2022
BATSA's 70% illicit cigarette trade estimate is wrong - UCT study
In August 2022, British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) announced that the illicit cigarette trade in the past year comprised 70% of the total market in South Africa. But according to a new study by University of Cape Town's (UCT) PhD candidate Nicole Vellios, BATSA's estimate is wrong. These results were published in an article in Econ3x3 , the online economic policy publication housed at UCT’s Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU).
20 Sep 2022
WC healthcare workers experienced high levels of burnout and anxiety amid COVID-19
When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020, the Western Cape soon experienced rapid growth in the number of cases, establishing it as the epicentre of the disease in the country. Now, a new study shows that healthcare workers in the province experienced high levels of uncertainty, restriction, fear, anxiety, and exhaustion.
16 Sep 2022
Dean of UCT’s largest faculty charts path for transformation
Professor Suki Goodman’s appointment to lead the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Commerce, also the university’s largest faculty, came into effect on 1 January 2022, and eight months have passed at full speed. Lucky for Goodman, a professor in organisational psychology , it has been nothing but positive, exponential learning.
15 Sep 2022
UCT’s Irma Stern Museum to showcase selected Grade 11 learners Art works
To commemorate their 50th anniversary, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Irma Stern Museum partnered with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to invite Grade 11 learners doing Visual Art and Design to participate in a “Rethinking Irma Stern” project.
15 Sep 2022
Nearly 50% of digital labour platform workers fear for their safety – report finds
Digital labour platform workers are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet, putting additional pressure on them to accept work that carries a high risk of exposure to criminal activity. The fourth Fairwork report for South Africa, released on 8 September 2022 by the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) School of Information Technology, found that nearly 50% of workers fear for their safety.
09 Sep 2022
MeerKAT measures the "fuel reserves" of galaxies in the past
A global team of astronomers have measured the fuel required for star formation in galaxies as they were four billion years ago. The researchers observed neutral hydrogen gas – the most abundant element in the universe and the material from which stars are formed – using the MeerKAT radio telescope and found that galaxies can replenish their reservoirs of fuel for star formation.
09 Sep 2022
UCT’s A-rated researchers tally the highest in SA
The University of Cape Town (UCT) shone at this year’s National Research Foundation (NRF) awards, with 31 researchers awarded A-ratings in 2022 in what is the highest of any university in South Africa, while six UCT researchers won awards in three categories.
07 Sep 2022