https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Stellenbosch University In South Africa, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and connected river systems could serve as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance, raising fresh concerns about how antimicrobial resistance moves through ecosystems and into human populations. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) refers to the ability of disease-causing microbes to withstand treatments. Antibiotic resistance—a type of AMR—occurs when bacteria no longer respond to antibiotics. If current trends continue, estimates suggest that by 2050 deaths from AMR will rise to about 10 million people per year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-antimicrobial-resistant-genes-wastewater-samples.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:00:08 EDT news693836986 A long-standing debate about the evolutionary origin of the world's most widely cultivated "magic mushroom"—Psilocybe cubensis—may now have been settled by scientists from southern Africa and the United States. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-african-species-evolutionary-magic-mushrooms.html Evolution Tue, 10 Mar 2026 19:10:06 EDT news692352601 In patients with long COVID, a new study has revealed a structural association between circulating microclots and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-scientists-reveal-piece-covid-puzzle.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 10 Nov 2025 16:55:03 EST news682016101 An international team of geologists and paleontologists is pioneering a groundbreaking methodology to reliably determine the age of fossil-bearing rocks—by directly dating fossilized dinosaur eggshells. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-dinosaur-eggshells-fossil.html Evolution Mon, 10 Nov 2025 10:43:03 EST news681993781 It's a well-known fact that fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in children is caused by mothers who drink during pregnancy. But it turns out that the father's drinking habits could also affect a child's growth and development. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-fathers-plays-role-fetal-alcohol.html Addiction Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:30:07 EDT news676639560 Analytical chemists from Stellenbosch University (SU) have provided the first evidence of a rare class of phenolics, called flavoalkaloids, in cannabis leaves. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-dont-cannabis-theyre-rare-compounds.html Biochemistry Wed, 13 Aug 2025 14:24:03 EDT news674313841 Microclimates—as opposed to large-scale regional or even global scale macroclimate models—may hold the key to offsetting the negative impacts of extreme weather events on already vulnerable insect populations. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-micro-refugia-key-survival-insect.html Plants & Animals Thu, 31 Jul 2025 11:51:03 EDT news673181461 In March 2022, Stellenbosch University (SU) student Rohan Barnard was out on a farm in the Swartberg Mountains between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn, flipping over rocks looking for ants, reptiles and other critters, when he stumbled upon the finding of a lifetime. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-fossil-velvet-worm-species-south.html Evolution Wed, 28 May 2025 15:28:07 EDT news667664872 A critically endangered new species of killifish sampled from an ancient forest in Kenya in 2017 and 2018 has been described in the journal Zootaxa. Nothobranchius sylvaticus, from the Latin meaning "pertaining to the forest," is also the first known endemic killifish to persist in a forest. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-species-killifish-kenya-critically-endangered.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:24:03 EDT news661011841 Scientists from South Africa and Brazil have provided empirical evidence that pollen grains of rival plants may compete with one another for space on pollinators, thus influencing whose pollen is going to make it to the next flower—or not. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-explosive-pollen-wars-space-pollinators.html Evolution Wed, 16 Oct 2024 12:07:03 EDT news648299222 Checking your work-related emails or taking business calls while playing golf could prevent you from hitting that elusive eagle or birdie. This is according to a group of researchers from the Department of Information Science at Stellenbosch University (SU). https://phys.org/news/2024-08-emails-golf-worsen.html Other Wed, 07 Aug 2024 06:38:09 EDT news642231483 During the cold winter months, it is nice to light an indoor fireplace or "braai" for extra warmth. The downside is that you may be inhaling tiny solid or liquid substances that could be harmful to your health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-reveals-hidden-health-indoor-fireplaces.html Health Tue, 06 Aug 2024 16:54:49 EDT news642182083 Two new species of psychoactive mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe have been described from southern Africa, bringing the list to six known species indigenous to Africa. Psilocybe species are among the most well-known and well-studied species of psychoactive mushrooms in the world, with around 140 described species. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-species-psilocybe-mushrooms-southern-africa.html Ecology Tue, 02 Jul 2024 16:57:03 EDT news639158221 The important role of the Southern Ocean in global biological processes and the carbon cycle has been confirmed anew by a study published in Science that, for the first time based on field evidence, reveals the underappreciated role of inorganic zinc (Zn) particles in these cycles. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-scientists-unravel-drivers-global-zinc.html Earth Sciences Thu, 13 Jun 2024 14:00:02 EDT news637488961 Scientists have discovered the world's oldest, inhabited termite mounds along the Buffels River in Namaqualand. These mounds, dating back a staggering 34,000 years, are rewriting our understanding of prehistoric life, climate and carbon storage. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-uncovering-ancient-world-oldest-inhabited.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:56:01 EDT news637491358