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Therory of evolution
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The original ideas
Starting in the year 427 bc two of the most influencial philosopheres Plato and Aristotle came up with similar ideas to how life existed. This theory was that all life existed in a perfected and unchanging form. Also that all species had been created seperatly. This theory dominated the western world for about 2000 years untill the year 1706 -
Buffon
Buffon lived from the year 1707-1788 and was the first person to publicly challenge that life forms are unchanging. He was a french naturalist who propsed similarites between humans and apes. This led him to believe that these two species shared a common ancestor. He also suggested that the world was indeed older then 6000 years. -
Lamarck
Lamarck was a french naturalist that lived from 1744-1829. He came up with the idea of the "line of descent". He believed that species evolved over time untill they reached perfection. Lamarck proposed the theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics. He also noted that if an organism adapts to its environment, those adaptions will the be passed down to its future generations. -
Malthus
Malthus was an engligh scholar that lived from 1766-1834. He published An Essay on the Principles of Population. In this essay he stated that animals would continue to breed untill the food source would run out at which point the animals would have to compete to survive. This could contribute to the theory that organisms with better fitness would survive and the theory of natural selection. -
Cuvier
Georges Cuvier lived from the time of 1769-1832. He was a french naturalist who is credted with developing the science of paleontology. He observed that each layer of rock is has a unique group of fossil species and that the deeper the stratum the more difference between modern species and fossil species. Cuvier discovered that new species can be formed and species can go extinct. He also proposed the thoery of Catastrophism and that the earth was not neccissarily older then 6000 years old. -
Lyell
Lyell was a scottish geologist who lived from 1797-1875. He proposed that the geological process that occured in the past operated at the same rate today. He also rejected the catastrophism theory and proposed that the earth was indeed older then 6000 years old. -
Wallace and Darwin
Another british naturalist that lived from 1823-1913 named Wallace had the same ideas as darwin had thought of. After Darwins journey on the beagle he forulated a theory to explain evolution. Wallace had similar ideas and is cosidered a co-discoverer of The Theory of Evolution by Natural selection. Darwin and walace noted that populations change, adaptations are passed down and that competition for a limited resource would "select" the fitest organism to survive. -
Darwin's voyage on HMS Beagle
In 1831 Charles Darwin set out on a British ship that was traveling to south american to map the south american coast. Darwin was able to make observations about the evolutionary proccess on a small grouping of islands called the Galapagos islands. Some of these observations are of the variation between galapagos species such as the shell of the tortoises and the beaks of the finches. Also the similarites between the galapagos species and south american species. -
Publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
Darwin Published his book "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection" In 1859 on his ideas. This caused an outrage by many people
