Natural and Agricultural Sciences News

NWU academic and Fulbright Fellowship holder doing ground-breaking cancer research

Phenyo Mokgothu

North-West University (NWU) academic in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Prof Mulunda Mwanza, has been selected and awarded the prestigious Fulbright Visiting Scholar Fellowship, and is currently based at…

Conserving African biodiversity through genomics has a food security link

Using genomics to understand and protect the African continent’s biodiversity could improve the resilience of plants, animals and other life forms to climate change, with a knock-on effect on food security, says North-West University (NWU) researcher Dr Roksana Majewska.

She and fellow researchers at the African BioGenome Project (…

NWU academic elected President of African Astronomical Society

Phenyo Mokgothu

Prof Thebe Rodney Medupe, North-West University (NWU) academic and deputy dean for community engagement and stakeholder relations in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, has been elected as the president of the African Astronomical Society (AfAS).

Prof Medupe was elected…

NWU and Universität Duisburg-Essen develop early warning tool for metal pollution in fresh water

Researchers from North-West University (NWU) and Universität Duisburg-Essen in Germany have developed an early warning tool for metal pollution in freshwater systems worldwide.

This research achievement is a collaboration between the Water Research Group, the NWU led by Prof Nico Smit and Prof Victor Wepener and the Universität Duisburg…

Janco: Broken foot, but ready for action

You can tell him nothing about challenges. After all, he is swimmer who has represented his province, North West, at national level. Hours of sweating in the gym? No problem. In fact, it is all that sweating in the water and with weights that built those shoulders on which his next challenge, and his next…

Starry-eyed youths ready for the big leap

More than a thousand maths and science learners from high schools in Mahikeng, Potchefstroom and Vanderbijlpark have had a front row seat and experienced – first-hand – the wonders of the universe.

They attended a lecture series presented by extraordinary professor Don Kurtz of the…

NWU stargazer helps capture spectacular images of a magical cosmic “firework”

Faster than the blink of an eye, bigger than our entire galaxy and pulsating with unimaginable intensity, it is one of the most energetic cosmic events visible from earth observed and captured on record ― a shock wave that extends for 6,5 million light years.

Observing and capturing this magical “firework” in detailed images took…

Blood parasites in African wild dogs are becoming more prevalent

Blood parasites were recently shown to be highly prevalent in African wild dog populations, according to Dr Edward Netherlands and colleagues from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the North-West University (NWU).

Their study on blood parasites of species of Hepatozoon indicates that these parasites are common in…

New species named in honour of NWU academic

According to Sir David Attenborough, who has at least 17 species named in his honour, having a species named after you is the “biggest of compliments that you could ask from any scientific community.” 

Internationally acclaimed North-West University (NWU) researcher, Prof Nico Smit was recently complimented in such a way.

Three NWU alumni appointed to serve on Women in Nuclear South Africa board 

Malebo Makgale, Lerato Makgae, and Ntsoaki Tlape, all three North-West University (NWU) alumni, have recently been appointed to serve on the board of Women in Nuclear South Africa (WiNSA).

President of WiNSA and also an NWU alumnus, Tebogo Motlhabane, says each board member was…