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UCT study pioneers microbiome-based treatment for bacterial vaginosis A collaborative study by researchers from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Department of Pathology and several institutions in the United States of America (USA) and South Africa have successfully isolated and characterised vaginal bacteria from South African women, contributing more than 20 potential Lactobacillus crispatus strains to develop two multi-strain therapeutic products for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in women. 18 Mar 2026 Media release

African coastlines face unprecedented sea level surge crisis A groundbreaking study led by researchers at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Department of Oceanography has revealed that Africa’s coastlines are facing a rapidly accelerating crisis. It found that the 2023-2024 El Niño event triggered the most significant sea level surge ever recorded in the region, exceeding even the historically powerful 1997-1998 event and highlighting a dangerous new reality for the continent’s coastal nations. 18 Mar 2026 Media release

UCT-led project supports highly growing number of adolescent mothers With Africa projected to have nearly one billion adolescents by 2050, the number of pregnant women and young mothers would likely double, and supporting them by designing services that fit their needs is crucial, said University of Cape Town (UCT) Centre for Social Science Research’s Associate Professor Elona Toska. 17 Mar 2026 Media release

UCT doctoral study unravels systemic drivers of corporate crime across South Africa and Germany A new doctoral study at the University of Cape Town (UCT) offers a rigorous cross-jurisdictional analysis of how corporate crime emerges within listed companies, challenging conventional governance thinking, introducing new theories and proposing reforms to strengthen accountability in both emerging and developed markets. 17 Mar 2026 Media release

Iconic SA bird – Blue Crane – under threat from agricultural landscapes A recent study suggests that intensive agricultural landscapes in the Western Cape may be reducing the breeding success of the iconic Blue Crane, South Africa’s national bird. 16 Mar 2026 Media release

UCT and global partners uncover vast hidden supercluster behind the Milky Way Astronomers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) – working with colleagues from Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (France), Swinburne University of Technology (Australia) and the INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari (Italy) – have uncovered the true scale of one of the largest hidden structures in the nearby Universe. Their findings reveal the immense extent of the Vela Supercluster, a colossal concentration of galaxies that had remained concealed behind the dense dust and stars of our own Milky Way galaxy. 12 Mar 2026 Media release

UCT lecture champions the unseen labour of care Responding to the question of who bears responsibility for caring for the young, the old, the ill and the vulnerable – and why, Professor Elena Moore of the Department of Sociology at the University of Cape Town (UCT) delivered her inaugural lecture on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, titled: “Who Cares? The Directions of State–Family Relationships in Changing Times”. 10 Mar 2026 Media release

UCT palaeontologists challenge method used to estimate age of crocodiles and dinosaurs Do the bones of Nile crocodiles have the same number of growth marks as their age? And can such growth rings be counted to accurately gauge the age of these reptiles? Is this also an accurate method to use when trying to “age” dinosaurs and other extinct and extant reptiles? No, not according to a Scientific Reports study by Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan and Dr Maria-Eugenia Pereyra of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cape Town (UCT). 10 Mar 2026 Media release

UCT-led study finds increase in plastic bottle pollution on Marion Island A long-term study led by researchers from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology found that when litter was first surveyed on Marion Island in 1984, more than half of all items came from the island’s research station. Since then, the amount of beached litter has increased substantially, but litter from the research station has decreased due to improvements in solid waste management, with local land-based litter currently accounting for less than 1% of all litter. 05 Mar 2026 Media release

How care is organised, experienced and governed amid social and economic change – UCT lecture University of Cape Town (UCT) Professor Elena Moore, professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Humanities , will deliver her inaugural lecture, “Who cares? The directions of state-family relationships in changing times”, on Wednesday, 4 March 2026 at 17:30 SAST at the New Lecture Theatre on upper campus. 03 Mar 2026 Media release

UCT’s newly launched Mathieu Rouault Research Centre: A living legacy for ocean science The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Mathieu Rouault Research Centre (MRRC) – which celebrates the life and legacy of the late Mathieu Rouault , whose work transformed how scientists understand the oceans around southern Africa – has opened its doors. 24 Feb 2026 Media release

UCT researcher secures global grant to test AI solutions for youth unemployment A University of Cape Town (UCT) researcher has secured a prestigious international research grant to investigate whether artificial intelligence (AI) can improve employment prospects for unemployed young people in South Africa, placing local youth at the centre of a global debate on the future of work. 12 Feb 2026 Media release

SA food industry not taking enough action to address obesity and undernutrition A new scientific report by the Chronic Diseases Initiative for Africa at the University of Cape Town (UCT), in collaboration with partners from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), the University of the Western Cape, and LMU Munich (Germany), has revealed that South Africa’s food industry is not taking sufficient action to address obesity and undernutrition and create healthier food environments. 12 Feb 2026 Media release

UCT and Services SETA turn the sod on new African Skin Health Institute The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences , in partnership with the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services SETA) , will host a sod-turning ceremony on Friday, 13 February 2026. This event will mark the start of construction of the Africa Research Institute for Skin Health (ARISE) building. 12 Feb 2026 Media release

UCT student constructs three-bedroom home using soil and recycled waste University of Cape Town (UCT) MSc student Matimba Mabonda and his team have completed the construction of a three-bedroom house built using soil and waste materials, offering a practical and scalable response to South Africa’s housing and waste challenges. 11 Feb 2026 Media release

UCT study reveals major barriers to surgical care in peri-urban Cape Town A new study by researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) has uncovered significant challenges in delivering surgical care in peri-urban communities, with nearly one in three residents reporting experiencing delays in receiving appropriate surgical treatment, even when living close to healthcare facilities. 09 Feb 2026 Media release

UCT experts propose narrower beer excise tax tiers to reduce alcohol harm South Africa’s alcohol taxation system requires urgent strengthening to address the devastating public health burden of harmful alcohol consumption, according to an analysis by researchers based at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP) . To effectively reduce alcohol-related harm, the researchers recommend narrower beer excise tax tiers than those proposed by Treasury, higher uplift factors (multipliers applied to the base excise tax rate), and predictable above-inflation tax increases. 09 Feb 2026 Media release

New genus of sea snail discovered in the Great African Seaforest After nearly a decade of taxonomic puzzle-solving, a team of scientists from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Department of Biological Sciences , Sea Change Project, the University of Tokyo and Stellenbosch University has unveiled a remarkable discovery: a parasitic sea snail that represents not only a new species, but an entirely new genus. The findings are published in the Journal of Molluscan Studies . 09 Feb 2026 Media release

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