News and opinion

ANNUAL DARWIN DAY LECTURE SUNDAY 16th FEBRUARY 6.30pm WHO DO WE THINK WE WERE – DNA and ANCESTRY TESTING An introduction to DNA-based ancestry testing, explaining the science, the power, and the pitfalls. Anyone with a credit card and an internet connection can now order a high-tech test of their own DNA from a humble tube of saliva. Many people use these tests to explore their own ancestry, and while some do it for fun, for others it’s part of a more serious question about identity. But are the tests reliable and the conclusions reasonable? Could they bring unwelcome surprises? How can the data from innocent amateur DNA analysts be repurposed by others? Mark Jobling, a Professor of Genetics from the University of Leicester (whose own ancestry is not very interesting), will explore these topics. Free entry with tea and biscuits All welcome.

13 November 2019: The Freedom of Thought Report 2019 by Humanists International (of which Leicester Secular Society is a proud member), now in its eigth annual edition, examines the legal and human rights situation for “humanists, atheists and the non-religious” around the world.

9 November 2019: The latest annual report of the Uganda Humanist Schools Trust can be found on this link.

30 September 2019: Autumn edition of Leicester Secularist (No.82) - Charitable status of the Islamic Centre, Leicester - Local religious schools without playgrounds - Religious Factories or Schools? - John Sketchley: Chartist, Republican - George Orwell, English Rebel - - these and many other articles in 16 pages of news, comment and reviews from LSS.

28 August 2019: The Society's Secular Hall Autumn Events Programme (September - December 2019) can now be downloaded here. Includes talks on "Witchcraft and the modern revival of magic", "How Antisemitism and Racism Became Selective" and "Leicester's Fight Against Racism".

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