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HMS Beagle
Charles Darwin abandoned his medical education to study at Christ College in Cambridge, England. He graduated with a BA in 1831, though his career was intended to be a clergyman (Christ’s College). Shortly after graduation Darwin was invited to join the HMS Beagle on a trip around the world as a naturalist which became the foundation of what he later developed as the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection (American Museum of Natural History). -
Natural Selection
Inspired by his observations of varying characteristics on the same species of animals Darwin theorized Natural Selection, which is “The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.” (Oxford). Animals that had characteristics that increased their chances of survival in their environment would mate and pass down those characteristics to their offspring. Liberal clergymen believed that God created natural selection. -
On the Origin of Species
Darwin published the book, "On the Origin of Species". The book is an in depth review of the numerous observations and experiments Darwin conducted describing the speciation of plants and animals. He theorized that all living organisms derived from the same lineage but through the process of natural selection evolved into distinct species (Britannica). -
Sexual Selection
Some traits in animals that were passed down their lineage were not connected to survival. Darwin noted that these traits were associated with the effort of reproduction. He published his book, "The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex" in 1871. He theorized that these features were meant to attract animals of the opposite sex in order to procreate and would therefore be passed down to the offspring (Christ's College).
