Bernard Coetzee News Today

To apply for the 2024 JWO Research Grant, applicants should be an early-career African scientist with strong links to an African institution.

The Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer Research Grant (JWO Grant) was established in 2019 to honour the legacy of the late.

Artificial lights could trick malaria-transmitting mosquito species that feed nocturnally into behaving as if it’s daytime.

The mosquitoes are also evolving increased resistance to insecticides.This situation underscores the need for sharpening the multiple vector control options, and exploring new strategies.My research explores one such potential strategy the use of artificial lights to trick malaria-transmitting mosquito species that feed nocturnally into behaving as if its daytime.

With light being a fundamental cue in nature as it controls the timing of biological events, researchers have taken an interest in finding out how artificial lighting can help alter behavior of Malaria causing Mosquitos and eventually lessening the spread of infections.

Malaria remains a menace across Africa. The continent carries by far the world’s largest disease burden: 94% of cases and 96% of deaths occur across the continent. Alarmingly, children aged five or younger account for 80% of these deaths.

Artificial lights trick nocturnal-feeding malaria mosquitoes into behave like it is daytime during night 

Bernard Coetzee’s profile on The Conversation

Artificial lights in Africa attracts insects like mosquitoes into homes, and may alter their biting behaviours.

The JWO Research Grant is an initiative that seeks to support early-career African researchers focused on innovative research.