About 3500 years ago the ancient Egyptians revered the dung beetle (Scarabaeus sacer) as a symbol of the Egyptian god Ra, who rolled the sun across the sky each day, “transforming bodies and souls”. The belief came to life in nature as Egyptians associated the dung...
Map: SANBI When you look at a map of the vegetation of South Africa, the right half of the map is nearly dominated by one particular biome – grasslands. The grassland biome covers nearly a third of South Africa’s land area (339 237km2). Grasslands might bring up...
Like many people, 24-year-old Nkosinathi Ndaba had the idea that all microorganisms are bad germs that present a threat. However, his views shifted in his second year at varsity while taking a major in microbiology towards his undergraduate degree in biochemistry. “I...
Lubabalo Ndidi is a 28 year old second year MSc student from Cape Town, Gugulethu. However, he says his family origins can be traced back to Eastern Cape. He recalls that he has always wanted to be at the forefront of research to find new ways of helping people deal...
Key points: Diverse soil microbiome communities enhances soil resilience The main objective of this FBIP project is to document soil microbial diversity Understanding the soil microbiome is a crucial element in ‘smart farming’ Benefits from cultivating the soil...
