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The Birth of Darwin
On February 12, 1809, the British naturalist and biologist was born in the English little town of Shrewsbury, which was a trading center. With his father R.W. Darwin being a doctor and his grandfather Erasmus Darwin being a botanist, his family has a long history of scientists. -
Education
Charles and his brother Erasmus enrolled in the University of Edinburgh at the young age of 16, but Charles departed after just two years to attend Christ's College in Cambridge. There, Charles met his mentor John Stevens, who recommended him for the position of naturalist on the HMS Beagle after Charles received his Bachelor of Arts. -
HMS Beagle & Early Research
Charles travelled across the world for five years on board the HMS Beagle under the command of Captain Robert Fitzroy. Charles studied and observed animals, vegetation, and even fossils while at sea. The majority of Charles' discoveries were made in the Pacific Islands and the Galapagos Archipelago. Charles published his research in the "Journal of Researches" in 1836 after the ship arrived back in port. Other naturalists disagreed with his theory regarding the origin of living beings. -
Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Darwin's theory was that plants and animals in certain ecosystems would change over time to fit their current environment, while those that couldn't adapt and change would die out. "Natural Selection" was the name given to this process. Darwin saw that many species had the same features, but in some places they were different. This made him think that those species had "evolved" from their original design. This idea became known as "Darwinism" over time. -
Publicizing His Theory
Darwin talked about his theory of evolution at a Linnean Society meeting in 1858. The Linnean Society is a group that studies natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection," his best-known book about his theory, came out a year later. Years later, DNA studies have shown that Darwin's ideas are sound, but this has made people who believe in Creationism unhappy. -
Darwinism's Effect & The Death of its Creator
Part of the world used Darwin's ideas in the late 1800s and during the Industrial Revolution to come up with Social Darwinism, which tried to explain differences in social class and economic problems. In the eyes of many, Social Darwinism also led to labor abuse, racism, and social inequality. Charles Darwin died at his home in Down House, London, on April 19, 1882. Even now, people still believe in Darwin's work and are always looking for new things to learn from it. -
How Darwinism Affects Us Today
Not only did Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection influence our perspectives on biology and other species, but it also reshaped our conceptions of who we are and our role in the universe. -
FuseSchool's Guide to Evolution by Natural Selection
YouTube Please click the link and watch the short video for a closer look into Darwin's Theory of Evolution :) -
References