Bult - University of the Free State

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It is a cursed evil to any man to become as absorbed in any subject as I am in mine.
– Charles Darwin
A year-long celebration of life and survival
By Lacea Loader
This year the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles
Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of
his book On the Origin of Species are celebrated at our
university with a year-long programme with the theme
The story of life and survival. We are the only university
in the country that is presenting such an extensive
lecture programme on life and survival and it is an
excellent example of how we promote critical scientific
reflection.
Darwin was an English naturalist who realised and
presented compelling evidence that all species of
life have evolved over time from common ancestors
through a process he called natural selection. In
modified form, Darwin’s scientific discovery is the
unifying theory of the life sciences, providing logical
explanation for the diversity of life.
On the Origin of Species, published in 1859, is
recognised as perhaps the greatest intellectual
At the launch of the programme to celebrate
the story of life and survival were, from the
left: Prof. Schalk Louw, Department of Zoology
and Entomology, Prof. Jo van As, Department
of Zoology and Entomology, Prof. Maitland
Seaman, Centre for Environmental Management,
and Prof. Matie Hoffman, Department of Physics.
Proff. Louw and Seaman acted in a play about
the life of Darwin, while Prof. Hoffman made
a presentation on what nature tells us about
cosmic history.
The story of the life of Darwin was
told in a stage play at the launch
of the programme. Prof. Schalk
Louw, played the part of Darwin.
revolution in the entire history of science. “The brilliance
of this book lies in its clarity, one can almost say
simplicity and the meticulous and comprehensive
documentation of vast volume of evidence for
each statement,” said Prof. Jo Van As, head of the
Department of Zoology and Entomology at the UFS.
“The accepted view about the origin of biodiversity
before 1859 was that all species were created exactly
as they are now. Darwin’s work showed that all life
forms are interlinked and evolved like the branches
of a tree – a tree of life. Species gradually change
and evolve into other species under the driving force
of natural selection. This is the same process that
breeders use to change animals and plants to desired
forms. The only difference is that in the latter case it is
artificial and not natural selection,” said Prof. Van As.
“The same process of evolution also applies to
humans, we are not the pinnacle of biodiversity, but part
Photo: Hannes Pieterse Photo: Hannes Pieterse Photo: Hannes Pieterse
Prof. Schalk Louw and Prof.
Maitland Seaman, as a journalist
interviewing Darwin. The play was
presented in cooperation with our
Department of Drama and Theatre
Arts.
of the large spectrum of the incredible creatures living
on the only place in the universe that we know of where
life exists,” he said.
The lecture programme focuses on the progress of
man and does not only focus on Darwin. It started on
12 February 2009, Darwin’s birth date, with a stage
play about his life and presentation on what nature tells
us about cosmic history and will be concluded on 12
February 2010.
“With the programme we aim to portray the influence
of Darwin’s theory of evolution on a wide range of
disciplines. We are celebrating 200 years of scientific
progress and the epic 4,6 billion year journey of life. I
see this as a good opportunity to promote science in its
broadest context,” said Prof. Van As.
Some of the topics that were discussed earlier in the
year include the geological evolution of our planet; the
origin of life, prokaryotes (simple organisms without
Darwin sailed on the HMS Beagle across the Atlantic
Ocean for more or less five years. Darwin and the crew
went on land often during this time. He collected and
made detailed observations of plants and animals, with
results that shook his belief that species were fixed and
provided the basis for ideas which came to him when
back in the United Kingdom, and led to his theory of
evolution by natural selection.
nucleus) and eukaryotes (organisms with visible nuclei)
and extinction.
“Today evolution is no longer considered to be a theory
and is widely accepted by most serious scientists as
the process responsible for the diversity of life on our
planet,” says Prof. Van As.
The programme is in conjunction with the National
Museum and the Central University of Technology
in Bloemfontein. Topics that will be discussed in the
rest of the programme are: evolution and biodiversity
of animals, the mechanisms of evolution: heredity
and natural selection; origin of humankind, plant
evolution: species, systems and agriculture; road to
civilization and human demography; proliferation of
technology and communication; human impact on the
environment; human impact: resistance ectoparasites
HIV/Aids, antibiotics; how to care for the world and the
last one on the future of evolution.
Darwin’s study at Down House, Kent in the United
Kingdom, where he lived for most of his life.
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