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BIrth and Early life
Born 12 FEB 1809 in Shrewsbury, England Charles Darwin was the fifth of six children. Charles attended Edinburgh University of medicine but soon abandoned his studies for a lack of interest. Darwin later attended Cambridge University where he became an avid beetle collector, studied theology, geology and botany.Charles Darwin became known as a pioneer in the study of Evolution and a highly regarded geologist, botanist and naturalist. Darwin’s works became the foundation for modern evolutionary. -
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H.M.S Beagle’s Five Year Voyage:
Charles Darwin accompanied Robert FitzRoy, an English Naval officer, on a voyage to circumnavigate the earth. During this time Darwin studied geological formations and theorized that “coral reefs and atolls could be explained by uplift and subsidence of vast areas of the earth’s crust under the ocean” (“The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs”). Darwin published “The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs” in 1842. For this work Darwin received the Royal Societies Royal Medal. -
Natural Selection
Though Darwin formulated his theory of natural selection in 1838, it was not published until 1 July 1858. This theory was published as two separate scientific papers to the Linnean Society of London. These papers were co-authored by British Naturalist Alfred William Wallace. These works became known as the Theory of Evolution by Means of Natural Selection and became the framework for modern evolutionary studies. -
Origin of Species
“The Origin of Species” is widely regarded as Darwin’s greatest work. Darwin theorized and presented evidence to explain how populations evolve over time and how the diversity of life arose by common descent through branching patterns of evolution (“Anirudh” 2018) This was an integral force that shaped modern western civilization. -
Fertilisation of Orchids
Establishing Darwin as a leading Botanist, “The Fertillisation of Orchids “demonstrated the power of natural selection by explaining how complex ecological relationships resulted in the coevolution of orchids and insects” (“Anirudh” 2018). Views in this book directly and indirectly led to all modern work on coevolution and the evolution of extreme specialization. It also “opened up new study areas of pollination research and reproductive ecology” (Fertilisation of Orchids, 2019). -
The Descent of Man
This book expounded on Darwin’s theory of natural selection and began to link humans as having common ancestors to apes. He also introduced ideas relating to sexual selection throughout the animal kingdom. One idea being, that members of the same sex compete to be chosen as sexual partners of the opposite sex. Some of the concepts that Darwin introduced were met by criticism until the mid 21st century when they were adopted as relevant to biologists and scientists. (“Anirudh.” 2018) -
Darwin’s death and contributions:
Darwin died at age of 73 at his home in the United Kingdom. Darwin ultimately passed after falling into heart Failure.Although Darwin’s theory of evolution has been modified, it remains fundamental to the way modern scientists study the natural world. His works have forever shaped the way we perceive the world and ourselves. A statue now resides in the Natural History Museum in London. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfsUz2O2j
