Natural and Agricultural Sciences News

NWU lecturer uses information technology to make a difference 

Chuku Taole, North-West University (NWU) Information Technology (IT) lecturer and Vanderbijlpark Campus alumnus, is committed to making a positive and lasting difference in the Lethabo Power Village where he grew up. 

For the past few years, the former NWU Student Representative Council member, together with a group of former…

NWU study: how indigenous fruit trees can benefit food security

“Indigenous fruits have long been collected from the wild for human consumption and other purposes. This concept of ‘one tree, many uses’ speaks to how indigenous fruit trees are valued for many things other than just their fruits.”

This is…

Young NWU lecturers making mathematics fashionable

North-West University (NWU) lecturers Tshepiso Mahura (28) and Thokozani Jele (27) have much in common.

Working at the Vanderbijlpark Campus, these best friends are both young academics from disadvantaged backgrounds, both pursuing their PhDs, and both taking the road less travelled – mathematics.

Thokozani – who…

BEWARE: Conditions are ideal for an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever

The good rains that have fallen over the last month in many areas of South Africa have caused ideal conditions for an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF).

These conditions include flooding and the formation of pans of water in which the Aedes…

NWU Mahikeng Campus welcomes top-rated researcher

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus is proud to welcome Prof Don Kurtz as an extraordinary professor.

Prof Kurtz is based in the United Kingdom and is an A1-rated professor, the highest such rating in the research fraternity.

The…

NWU researcher investigates role of traditional medicine in skin disorders

Many people rely on traditional plant remedies to treat skin disorders, and now a North-West University (NWU) researcher has investigated why these plants are effective, paving the way for further research by the pharmaceutical industry. “The use of indigenous knowledge in providing primary healthcare, especially in most indigenous African…

NWU researcher helps uncover new data about Earth and the Milky Way

A new study has lifted the veil on some of the mysteries of the Milky Way. It has found that the Earth is moving faster than it used to and is nearly 2 000 light-years closer to the black hole in the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. This is according to new data, documented over a period of 15 years, by the Japanese radio astronomy project, VLBI…

NWU partners with department to promote Indigenous Knowledge Act

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Centre has partnered with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) on a public awareness campaign on the Indigenous Knowledge Act and the Bio-cultural Protocol*. This Indigenous Knowledge Act focuses on the protection, promotion, management and development of…

NWU’s eye on the cosmos just became bigger

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Astronomy Observatory now boasts a new, bigger and better telescope – the New Mahikeng Astronomy Telescope. The new telescope, manufactured by Planewave Instruments in the USA, has a 50 cm diameter which is significantly bigger than the older 41 cm Meade LX200 GPS telescope that was unveiled in 2018…

Getting the most out of medicinal plant extracts with nanotechnology

A North-West University (NWU) graduate is bringing together age-old plant knowledge and the latest nanotechnology to make the most of medicinal plant extracts.

According to a United States National Nanotechnology Initiative, nanotechnology is currently revolutionising the technology and industrial sectors. These include information…