Bank Windhoek Socratic Forum

The next meeting of the Bank Windhoek Socratic Forum takes place on 4 July at 18:00 at Nice Restaurant. The topic for the meeting is Is Homo naledi rewriting human history? and will be introduced by Dr. Jurie van den Heever from Stellenbosch. Herewith a photograph and short CV of Dr. Van den Heever, as well as an abstract of his presentation and recommended reading on the topic.Dr Jurie van den Heever is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Botany and Zoology at the University of Stellenbosch. He retired in 2007, but has since been annually reappointed.He is a graduate of Stellenbosch University and joined the Department of Karoo Palaeontology at the South African Museum in Cape Town in 1974 where he worked as a Karoo Palaeontologist, eventually to be appointed Head of the Department.In 1988, he relocated to the then Department of Zoology at Stellenbosch University where he has continued his research on the comparative anatomy of the mammal-like reptiles of the Karoo and regularly collaborates with palaeontologists at the Universities of Chicago, Tübingen, The Witwatersrand and with the National Museum in Bloemfontein. He has lectured extensively on the palaeontology, embryology, anatomy and evolution of vertebrates at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and during this time also acted as study leader for a number of MSc and PhD students in Palaeontology. Dr. Van den Heever is a past president of the Palaeontological Society of South Africa, contributed to the weekly science column in Die Burger for a number of years and has been a team member on the RSG program, Hoe Verklaar Jy Dit? since 2000.Hobbies include woodturning, photography and occasional attacks upon the garden.Is Homo naledi rewriting human history?As humans we regard our evolutionary history as extremely important, very interesting and at times highly controversial. Taxonomically we are but one sprig on one branch of the tree of life, but are assuredly the only organisms that can reflect on our developmental history and imagine the future. Palaeontological finds have unequivocally placed Africa as our place of origin, whilst recent finds have shifted the palaeontological emphasis to Southern Africa, both with regard to unique specimens and number of fossils. In this respect Australopithecus sediba became a worldwide sensation that was only overshadowed by the more recent discovery of Homo naledi. The suggestion that Homo naledi may have practised some form of burial rite, coupled with the relatively young age now associated with the specimens, has generated new questions about our evolutionary history and initiated a resurgence of interest in human evolution.Dr. Van den Heever’s recent book, Wat moet ons met ons kerk doen? will also be for sale at N$ 225,00 at the event.Recommended readinghttp://www.news24.com/south%20africa/news/homo-naledi-likely-existed-alongside-early-human-civilization-20170509

Bank Windhoek Socratic Forum

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Bank Windhoek Socratic Forum

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Republikein 2025-05-02

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