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2003 - 2017

News Items

2020-05-01	Virtual Africa Month
2020-05-01	Virtual Africa Month
2020-05-29	Message from Prof Francis Petersen regarding the return of students to the campuses from 1 June 2020
2020-05-29	Message from Prof Francis Petersen regarding the return of students to the campuses from 1 June 2020
2020-05-29	Return to of staff and students to all campuses: 1 June 2020
2020-05-29	Return to of staff and students to all campuses: 1 June 2020
2020-05-28	Using sewage to test for COVID-19
2020-05-28	Using sewage to test for COVID-19
2020-05-26	COVID-19: Missed opportunities by African Libraries
2020-05-26	COVID-19: Missed opportunities by African Libraries
2020-05-26	Smart Grid to change the way UFS uses energy resources
2020-05-26	Smart Grid to change the way UFS uses energy resources
2020-05-26	Kovsie students commemorate Africa Month
2020-05-26	Kovsie students commemorate Africa Month
2020-05-25	CrazySocks4Docs Day 2020: Supporting medical heroes on the frontlines of COVID-19 war
2020-05-25	CrazySocks4Docs Day 2020: Supporting medical heroes on the frontlines of COVID-19 war
2020-05-25	African/Human Rights in Africa
2020-05-25	African/Human Rights in Africa
2020-05-25	Introduction to Toyin Falola’s ‘African Continentalism: The Future of the Past’
2020-05-25	Introduction to Toyin Falola’s ‘African Continentalism: The Future of the Past’
2020-05-25	Africa – the continent of mountain archipelagos
2020-05-25	Africa – the continent of mountain archipelagos
2020-05-25	Prof Puleng LenkaBula to deliver National Heritage Council Africa Day Lecture
2020-05-25	Prof Puleng LenkaBula to deliver National Heritage Council Africa Day Lecture
2020-05-25	Africa Day Webinar on Reflections on Africa amidst COVID-19
2020-05-25	Africa Day Webinar on Reflections on Africa amidst COVID-19
2020-05-25	From a pre-colonial to a COVID-19/post- university
2020-05-25	From a pre-colonial to a COVID-19/post- university
2020-05-25	The spirit of Ubuntu – have we allowed xenophobia to dilute Ubuntu?
2020-05-25	The spirit of Ubuntu – have we allowed xenophobia to dilute Ubuntu?
2020-05-25	COVID-19 and the intersectional nature of citizenship in South Africa
2020-05-25	COVID-19 and the intersectional nature of citizenship in South Africa
2020-05-22	Nominations: Executive Committee (EXCOM) of Convocation
2020-05-22	Nominations: Executive Committee (EXCOM) of Convocation
2020-05-22	Urban and regional planner receives prestigious Stals prize
2020-05-22	Urban and regional planner receives prestigious Stals prize
2020-05-22	A Virtual celebration of Africa Month
2020-05-22	A Virtual celebration of Africa Month
2020-05-22	History and intellectual underpinnings of the Africa Day celebration
2020-05-22	History and intellectual underpinnings of the Africa Day celebration
2020-05-21	What does it mean to love Africa?
2020-05-21	What does it mean to love Africa?
2020-03-21	Storytelling and resilience: Remembering the life and times of Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa
2020-03-21	Storytelling and resilience: Remembering the life and times of Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa
2020-05-20	Application to study at the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences in 2021
2020-05-20	Application to study at the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences in 2021
2020-05-19	Making history: Five UFS postdoctoral fellows benefit from Carnegie funded scholarships
2020-05-19	Making history: Five UFS postdoctoral fellows benefit from Carnegie funded scholarships
2020-05-19	Celebrating Africa Day during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of African Universities as Agents of Solidarity and Development in Post-Pandemic Africa
2020-05-19	Celebrating Africa Day during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of African Universities as Agents of Solidarity and Development in Post-Pandemic Africa
2020-05-18	One Africa #COVID-19 Africa unite
2020-05-18	One Africa #COVID-19 Africa unite
2020-05-13	Ewie Cronjé remembered for huge role at KovsieSport
2020-05-13	Ewie Cronjé remembered for huge role at KovsieSport
2020-05-12	Are universities regaining public trust?
2020-05-12	Are universities regaining public trust?
2020-05-12	UFS data scientist helps combat COVID-19 with accurate data
2020-05-12	UFS data scientist helps combat COVID-19 with accurate data
2020-05-11	Webinar sheds light on food industry during lockdown
2020-05-11	Webinar sheds light on food industry during lockdown
2020-05-09	Letter to students from Prof Francis Petersen
2020-05-09	Letter to students from Prof Francis Petersen
2020-05-06	Fast-tracking the recovery of school learning
2020-05-06	Fast-tracking the recovery of school learning
2020-05-06	The value of cynicism – South Africa’s reaction to the pandemic and our government
2020-05-06	The value of cynicism – South Africa’s reaction to the pandemic and our government
2020-05-06	ACCA Accredits UFS Accountancy Programmes
2020-05-06	ACCA Accredits UFS Accountancy Programmes
2020-05-05	Journalism a perfect antidote for the misinformation ‘pandemic’
2020-05-05	Journalism a perfect antidote for the misinformation ‘pandemic’
2020-05-04	Pandemics, new initiatives, and social work
2020-05-04	Pandemics, new initiatives, and social work

News Archive

Darwin lecture focuses on the genetic foundation of evolution

2009-05-22

The Department of Genetics at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently made their contribution to the story of life and survival by presenting two lectures on The genetic foundation of evolution. Prof. Johan Spies, Head of the Department of Genetics at the UFS discussed the variation that was created by mutations and how this variation was enhanced by re-combination. He also pointed out that these methods contributed relatively little to the gene pool of a species and that the expansion of the gene pool primarily took place by means of chromosome evolution. The latter also contributed to the creation of isolation mechanisms to prevent hybridism. He further emphasised the multitude of deviations of mendelian heredity, which contributed to more variation within a species.

Prof. Paul Grobler, Associate Professor from this department, next pointed out how natural selection played a role to form new species. He used various examples to indicate how the process took its course, for example, lactose intolerance. He also reported out that the man on the street mostly believed that Darwin with his theory of the survival of the fittest meant that the physically strongest species would survive. It was more a case of the one that could reproduce the fastest and the most, that would survive, he stated.

Present at the occasion were, from left front: Ms Letecia Jonker, student, Prof. Grobler, Ms Paula Spies, lecturer at the Department of Genetics and Ms Zurika Odendaal, junior lecturer at the Department of Genetics; back: Prof. Spies.
Photo: Stephen Collett

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