Gravity originating from this visible matter is simply not enough to have led to the formation of our galaxy or stars, astrophysicist Prof Yin-Zhe Ma says. “We therefore know that there must be ‘more’.” He is on a mission to connect fundamental physics with astronomical observations in order to understand the basic laws of the universe, as well as its expansion and the birth of the first galaxies.
Long-term cross-disciplinary collaboration between researchers in the fields of cell physiology and electronic engineering at Stellenbosch University (SU) is leading to new insights into cellular processes, specifically within the context of neurodegenerative diseases.
Although we may listen to it daily, we seldom think of all the components that were combined to create our favourite piece of music. We don’t think about each musical note individually but rather hear and experience the bigger structure that constitutes the whole of these elements. Simply put, this is what Gestalt theory is all about – the whole being greater than its parts. Individual notes say nothing about the musical creation as a whole. They only make sense when a variety of them are organised rhythmically on various pitches and at different intervals to construct a melody.
For some time now, big data has held the promise of having a revolutionary impact on various sectors of society that will lead to better, faster decision-making, improved processes, and ground-breaking discoveries. In agriculture, better data management, analysis, and application can boost animal and crop improvement, biosecurity and disease control, postharvest technology, agroprocessing, value chain analysis and development, as well as food sustainability and security. It can also help counter and build resilience to climate change.
To help South Africa’s paper, packaging and tissue industry secure a more sustainable future — that is the mission of a new demonstration plant at a papermill in KwaZulu-Natal. Driven by the ingenuity of Stellenbosch University’s chemical engineers, it was put into operation in 2023. The plant showcases the value of a process by which paper waste sludge destined for disposal in a landfill is turned into purified, high-value bioethanol.
Microbiologist Wessel Myburgh “grew up” as a scientist and entrepreneur during his time as a member of the Senior Chair of Energy Research (CoER): Biofuels and Other Alternative Clean Fuels. Now the co-founder of Urobo Biotech, Myburgh uses his knowledge of how yeasts and enzymes effectively break down plant-based waste into new products to improve the state of the planet he so dearly loves. He does this by tackling the mounting issue of what happens to used bioplastics.
At the turn of the millennium, microbiologist Prof Emile van Zyl took up the challenge of driving postgraduate research and training in biofuels and other clean fuel options at Stellenbosch University. His aim? To gather expertise, drive research outputs, and develop human capital to help build the necessary technology for boosting the biofuels industry in South Africa and beyond.
Umezuruike Linus Opara grew up in a farming village in rural Nigeria and nearly didn’t make it to secondary school because of financial constraints. Yet, he went on to perform so well at university that his bachelor’s degree earned him a scholarship to do his PhD. Later, he sacrificed a comfortable job in Oman in order to relocate to South Africa — a country he hardly knew at the time — to take up a DSI-NRF South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Postharvest Technology.
Prof Umezuruike Linus Opara's SARChI Chair comes to an end in 2024, but he has already ensured the continuation of its impactful work through a new entity — the Africa Institute for Postharvest Technology. "The institute was envisioned to leverage the successes we have had with the Chair thus far,” he says. “We have made a sure contribution towards building human capacity in terms of postharvest technology."
Tuberculosis (TB) is often thought of as a disease that affects only humans when, in fact, it is a multi-host disease [that affects many species]. A team of researchers, based in Stellenbosch University's Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, are determined to understand exactly how the transmission of TB occurs between wildlife, livestock, and people.