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18 March 2024 | Story VALENTINO NDABA | Photo SUPPLIED
Mark your calendar: The Faculty of Law's Human Rights celebration is approaching!

In commemoration of Human Rights Day, the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) is marking the occasion with a series of special events. These include a panel discussion titled Contribution of Sir Kentridge to Human Rights in South Africa and Beyond, and a public lecture titled Thirty Years of Human Rights in South Africa? Any Reason to Celebrate? – delivered by Emeritus Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs, promising a day of profound reflection and insight.

Date: 18 March 2024
Time: 10:00

Venue: Albert Wessels Auditorium, Bloemfontein Campus

Panel discussion:

Join us for an insightful panel discussion on the Contribution of Sir Kentridge to Human Rights in South Africa and Beyond. Panellists will include esteemed retired Constitutional Court judges. After the panel discussion, we will gather for a luncheon.

Public Lecture:

Don't miss the afternoon’s thought-provoking public lecture by Emeritus Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs.

Click to view documentClick here for the programme.

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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