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University of Cape Town

Located on the slopes of Devil’s Peak in Cape Town, the University of Cape Town is a leading, research-intensive university in South Africa and on the continent, known for its academic excellence and pioneering scholarship. The university is home to a third of South Africa’s A-rated researchers (acknowledged by the Department of Science and Technology as international leaders in their field) and a fifth of the country’s national research chairs. UCT encourages students and staff to use their expertise to speed up social change and economic development across the country and continent, while pursuing the highest standards of excellence in academic knowledge and research: developing African solutions to African challenges that are also shared by developing nations around the world.

UCT, like the city of Cape Town, has a vibrant, cosmopolitan community drawn from all corners of South Africa. It also attracts students and staff from more than 100 countries in Africa and the rest of the world. The university has strong partnerships and networks with leading African and other international institutions - helping to enrich the academic, social and cultural diversity of the campus as well as to extend the reach of UCT’s academic work.

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Hydrocephalus is the build-up of fluid pressure which compresses the brain and causes the skull to enlarge. Reuters/Andrew Biraj

How neurosurgeons can now look at your brain through your eyes

Much research has been focused on finding a non-invasive way to measure pressure in the brain, which is an important part of accurately diagnosing neurosurgical conditions.
A Colorado Springs officer with a body-worn camera. There is growing support to introduce the technology in South Africa. Reuters/Rick Wilking

South Africa mulls body cameras to improve police accountability, safety

Police brutality is an ongoing problem in South Africa. Police-worn body cameras may help reduce such incidents by improving accountability. They may also contribute to the safety of officers.
Projects are underway to address sustainable energy transitions in cities like Uganda’s Kasese. James Akena/Reuters

Smaller African cities need sustainable energy intervention

Sustainable energy is crucial for smaller African cities which are generally overlooked. These cities receive much less research and funding focus.
Opter pour des énergies modestes en carbone, à l’instar du solaire, devrait permettre à l’Afrique de ne pas aggraver l’impact du réchauffement climatique planétaire. www.shutterstock.com

Pourquoi l’Afrique doit faire profil carbone bas

Comment soutenir la croissance en Afrique pour éradiquer la pauvreté ? En adoptant dès aujourd'hui des politiques énergétiques pauvres en carbone.
Geese are becoming a serious problem on golf courses in the Western Cape and need active management. Richard Gie

How to keep geese off golfing greens

Geese droppings on golf courses are a source of great irritation for golfers . They are now calling for the birds to be properly managed.
Thomas Piketty argues that education is a big equaliser in a highly unequal society like South Africa. But it must be good quality education. Reuters/Rogan Ward

FactCheck: is South Africa the most unequal society in the world?

Twenty years ago, Brazil and South Africa were in a similar position when it comes to inequality. Brazil has made significant progress in addressing this, but South Africa hasn’t.
Researchers at the University of Cape Town trying to understand the mutation in the gene that causes night blindness, loss of peripheral vision and eventual blindness. Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Stem cells may hold the key to fixing a mutated gene that causes blindness

Stem cell research underway in South Africa is the first step to understanding how mutations cause a retinal disease and whether repairing the defect in the cell may reverse the disease process.
Young entrepreneurs like Nigerian taxi boss Bankole Cardoso (26) want to learn how to do business - but they also want something very different from the traditional, structured MBA. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

What young Africans want from business education programmes

Young, entrepreneurial Africans want more flexibility and values-based learning than they feel is offered by a traditional MBA.
A visually impaired young girl reads a Braille notice. Retinal dysfunction results in one in 3 500 people suffering night blindness, loss of peripheral vision and later complete blindness. Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Explainer: South Africa’s challenges in the search for genes causing eye disease

Today is the start of World Retinal Week. Establishing retinal degenerative disorders in Africa is challenged by the unique genetic diversity of Africans.
Africa needs women scientists and researchers like the Ivory Coast’s Dr Celine Nobah, pictured here at work. What can be done to develop female researchers? Thierry Gouegnon/Reuters

Clever spending and policies can bring more women to science

Policies at universities and in research institutions can be changed in small and significant ways to boost the space for gender equity within the sciences.
Demand for housing in South Africa continues to outstrip supply despite the government having made more than three million houses to poor households. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

Waiting for the state: politics of public housing in South Africa

The dismally slow provision of housing in South Africa is such that more than 2.2 million households live in 2700 informal settlements. Waiting is the norm and can take years, even decades.
Alcohol abuse in South Africa has roots in the dop system, introduced by Dutch colonists was a means of paying farm workers with cheap alcohol. Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

South Africa fails to tackle its high foetal alcohol syndrome rate

Dealing with foetal alcohol syndrome in South Africa needs more than telling women to stop drinking during pregnancy. It must also deal with the society around them.
Unused cooling towers overlooking an informal settlement in Soweto. A new study suggests that poverty in South Africa is actually higher than the figures usually quoted. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

How current measures underestimate the level of poverty in South Africa

A review of South Africa’s methodology to measure poverty shows that 60% of people in the country are poor. This is way higher than the figures that are usually quoted.
Being able to learn science in a number of languages helps children to develop an understanding of concepts - like the robotics used to build this dinosaur. David Mercado/Reuters

Multilingualism boosts learning - and can create new science knowledge too

Using more than one language when teaching and learning science in schools can greatly enhance concept development. This in fact goes to the heart of science.

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