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Nelson Mandela Science Lecture

24 November 2009, Cape Town, South Africa

Charles Darwin, Africa, and Human Evolution

This year’s Nelson Mandela Science Lecture will be held at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town and the invited speaker is Professor Chris Stringer, Research leader in Human Origins at the Natural History Museum in London. His theme is Charles Darwin, Africa, and Human Evolution. Charles Darwin was one of the first to suggest that humans probably had their origins in Africa, but at the time, there was no fossil evidence to support this notion. However, since 1921, there has been a tremendous growth in fossil, archaeological and, most recently genetic, data supporting this idea. Although most experts now accept that Africa was our original evolutionary homeland, there is less agreement about whether it was the only place of origin for our own species Homo sapiens. In this talk Professor Stringer will discuss our African origins and our eventual spread out of the continent to populate the Earth. The Nelson Mandela Science Lecture is a partnership project between the Africa Genome Education Institute and the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The 2009 lecture is held jointly with the Darwin200 series of lectures, a partnership project of the Africa Genome Education Institute & the Division of Human Genetics at the University of Cape Town.

Time: 12h30
Venue: Main Hall, University of the Western Cape, Modderdam Road, Belville, Cape Town
Enquiries: Linet Engelbrecht 021 557 0246 / linet@hippocommunications.com

Professor Chris Stringer has worked at The Natural History Museum since 1973, and is now Research Leader in Human Origins and a Fellow of the Royal Society. His early research concentrated on the relationship of Neanderthals and early modern humans in Europe, but through his work on the 'Out of Africa' theory of modern human origins, he now collaborates with archaeologists, dating specialists and geneticists in attempting to reconstruct the evolution of modern humans globally. He has excavated at sites in Britain, Gibraltar, Morocco and Turkey, and is currently leading the Ancient Human Occupation of Britain project (AHOB) and its successor project AHOB2, which began in October 2006, both funded by the Leverhulme Trust. AHOB and AHOB2 are major collaborative projects to reconstruct the pattern of the earliest human colonisations of Britain. His recent books include "The Complete World of Human Evolution" (2005, with Peter Andrews), and "Homo Britannicus" (2006,2007), which won the Best Archaeological Book Award in 2008.

Africa Rice Congress 2010

22 - 26 March 2010, Mali

Africa Rice Congress 2010 will have as its main theme: ‘Innovation and partnerships to realize Africa’s rice potential’. The Congress will bring together representatives from the public and private sector, civil society organizations, farmer associations and research and extension communities engaged in the development of Africa’s rice sector.

The Congress will take stock of advances in rice science and technology aimed at enhancing rice productivity in farmers’ fields, while protecting environmental services and coping with climate change. The Congress will also provide opportunity to discuss institutional innovations, policies and key investments needed to significantly increase rice production in sub-Saharan Africa, develop competitive and equitable rice value chains, reduce imports and enhance regional trade.

The Africa Rice Congress will be organized by the Africa Rice Center under the distinguished patronage of the Malian Authorities.

http://www.africaricecenter.org/AfricaRiceCongress2010/index.html

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Scifest Africa

Event: SciFest Africa 2010
When: 24-30 March
Where: South Africa
Website: www.scifest.org.za
Place: Grahamstown, South Africa

SciFest Africa, formally known as Sasol SciFest, is South Africa’s national festival of science, engineering and technology.

The Festival features over 600 events including lectures, interactive exhibitions, workshops, educational theatre, field trips, a soap box derby, laser show, quizzes, science olympics, a film fest, science shows and tours.

The Festival aims to break through popular misconceptions and create a new mindset about science, technology, engineering and mathematics by demonstrating that these disciplines underpin our everyday activities. Visitors are able to interact with science in a colourful and non-threatening environment, while the Festival’s incredible range of interactive events also provides learners with a great opportunity to discover science outside the classroom.

Scientists from all over the world are able to share their work, make science accessible to and within the reach of ordinary people, give career guidance, and act as role models for our youth.

Visit our website for more information and to see what's in store for you at SciFest Africa 2010.

More information:http://www.scifest.org.za/

Bio2Biz SA

20-23 September 2009

Bio2Biz SA is an exciting forum where the biotechnology industry meets the business community affording opportunities to culminate in the creation of mutually beneficial relationships.

This much anticipated biotechnology platform has come around once again, with KwaZulu-Natal having the honour of hosting the event at the Durban International Conference Centre (ICC) from the 20th to 23rd September 2009.

Bio2Biz SA will be held in conjunction with the South African Society for Microbiology (SASM) conference. Delegates will have the benefit of registering once and being able to attend the joint plenary sessions, having access to a series of six different breakaway sessions, as well as being able to register for the evening functions.

International Year of Astronomy

A packed programme of events takes place in South Africa in support of the International Year of Astronomy.

For more information:

http://www.astronomy2009.org.za/

Langebaanweg 2010

15-17 November

Changing Landscapes and Biotas of the Cape West Coast:
Mio-Pliocene to Recent

Building on the success of the Langebaanweg 2006 mini-symposium and workshop, a second meeting, which will take the form of a conference, is planned in the second half of November 2010. This conference forms part of the African Origins Platform/West Coast Fossil Park project. Several researchers and postgraduate students have been working on the geology, floras and faunas of Langebaanweg since 2006, and this meeting will provide a forum for them to present and compare results. The focus of the Langebaanweg 2010 conference will be extended to embrace other west coast fossil sites as an increasing amount of work has been done in the past 5 years on fossil sites which are geographically, if not temporally, close to Langebaanweg. These include new excavations and/or research at well known sites such as Elandsfontein, Duinefontein and Hoedjiespunt 1, as well as several new sites which are currently being analysed or excavated. We will also include a session that looks at comparisons between the west coast fossil taxa and those of eastern South Africa and East Africa.
Among the above-mentioned sites, Elandsfontein is closest in age to Langebaanweg, and accordingly exhibits archaic groups such as sivatheres and sabre-toothed cats, indicating the persistence of certain taxa from the Mio-Pliocene until the time of accumulation of the Elandsfontein fossils which is thought to be fall between 1,000 000 and 600 000 years (Klein et al. 2007). Elandsfontein is thus vital for understanding both the origins and migration of modern southern African taxa, and the profound environmental upheavals that led to the extinction of many taxa found at Langebaanweg. The temporal chasm between Langebaanweg and Elandsfontein is currently being bridged by on-going research on the later Pliocene marine terraces of the west coast. Late Middle Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene sites such as Duinefontein, Sea Harvest and Hoedjiespunt 1, Swartklip and Yzerfontein provide information on evolving west coast landscapes and biota. A component on modern west coast ecosystems will be included in the conference.

The conference aims to bring about the sharing of research and information on Late Cenozoic biotas and landscapes in the west coast region, and to provide a synthesis of knowledge from many different areas of research. This linking together of information along a continuum of climatic and environmental change should lead to a much better understanding of the evolution and transformation of west coast ecosystems and the climatic/oceanographic changes which molded them. A special volume will be published of the proceedings of the conference.

Some of the proposed topics/issues the conference will address are as follows:
• West Coast palaeoenvironments: The faunal evidence (Early Pliocene to Pleistocene)
• West Coast palaeoenvironments: Evidence from pollen and phytoliths
• Mio-Pliocene sites linking East and South Africa (Fauna and flora)
• Sea Temperature and climate change on the West Coast in the Late Cenozoic
• The Geology of the West Coast
• Dating of the West Coast Fossil sites
• Taphonomy and site formation
• Genetic data on plant and animal evolution in the Fynbos Biome
• West coast flora and fauna (Modern)
• Historical occurrence/contemporary introduction of large mammals in the West Coast region
The three-day conference would take place from 15-17 November 2010 and will be held in the Waterfront in Cape Town, at the Breakwater Lodge Conference Centre. The conference will start promptly on Monday 15th November, so we suggest you aim to arrive the previous day (Sunday, 14 November 2010). If you know someone whom you think would be interested in the workshop, please forward this email to them.

Field trip: We will have a post-conference field trip which will encompass visits to several interesting west coast palaeontological, geological and archaeological sites, the itinerary is still to be finalized.

In order to be added to the conference email distribution list please contact Thalassa Matthews at tmatthews@iziko.org.za .

SASBMB 2010

22nd Congress of the South African Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Ilanga Estate, Bloemfontein, South Africa

Come free your energy under the big skies of the Free State and join us in Bloemfontein for the 22nd Congress of the SASBMB.

SASBMB 2010 will be held just outside Bloemfontein at Ilanga Estate on 18 to 20 January 2010. Registration and welcoming will take place on 17 January at Ilanga Estate.

We have some excellent international speakers lined up and we will have the usual local speakers, faculty as well as students.

Regsitration for members will be R1600 and R1000 for students. Non-members will pay R2000. Registration includes your tea breaks, lunches and free entry to functions and the congress dinner.

Please highlight the following dates in your diaries:
•30th September: Closing date for abstracts.
•31st October: End of early bird registration.
•8th December: Last day of registration.

More information: http://www.sasbmb2010.co.za/

Communicating Science

The UCT Centre for Open Learning will be offering its successful Communicating Science short course again in October and November 2009. This short course aims to provide working scientists, researchers and senior science students with a thorough understanding of how to engage with the media and to promote their scientific work. Meeting twice a week over five weeks for lectures and hands-on sessions, as well as taking part in on-line learning, participants will have the opportunity to practise writing and interviewing for radio and television as well as learning about what the media wants from scientists. The course is anchored by science journalists, Dr George Claassen and Christina Scott, with guest lectures by several leading UCT scientists and researchers (Professors Phil Hockey, Alison Lewis and Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan).

Dates: Twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays
Monday 19 October–Thursday 19 November 2009
Times: 5.30pm–7.00pm
Venue: Lecture theatre 2, Graduate School of Humanities, UCT Upper Campus
Registrations close: Friday 9 October
Course fee: R2 150

Special reduced fee places for staff and students from academic tertiary institutions are available. Staff rate: R1 505 Student rate: R1 075
For further information or to register, visit www.ems.uct.ac.za/pace2009, e-mail ems@uct.ac.za or phone 021 650 4000.