Charles Robert Darwin was a British naturalist and biologist known for his theory of evolution and his understanding of the process of natural selection. In 1831, he embarked on a five-year voyage around the world on the HMS Beagle, during which time his studies of various plants led him to formulate his theories. In 1859, he published his landmark book: On the Origin of Species….
Early Life
Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, in the tiny merchant town of Shrewsbury, England. In October 1825, at age 16, Darwin enrolled at University of Edinburgh. Two years later, he became a student at Christ’s College in Cambridge.
HMS Beagle
While Darwin was at Christ’s College, botany professor John Stevens Henslow became his mentor. After Darwin graduated from Christ’s College with a bachelor of arts degree in 1831, Henslow recommended him for a naturalist’s position aboard the HMS Beagle.
The ship was to take a five-year survey trip around the world and the voyage proved to be the opportunity of a lifetime for Darwin. Over the course of the trip, Darwin collected a variety of natural specimens, including birds, plants and fossils. Through hands-on research and experimentation, he had the unique opportunity to closely observe principles of botany, geology and zoology. Darwin began to write up his findings in the Journal of Researches and began to develop a revolutionary theory about the origin of living beings that ran contrary to the popular view of other naturalists at the time.
Theory of Evolution
Darwin’s theory of evolution declared that species survived through a process called “natural selection,” where those that successfully adapted or evolved to meet the changing requirements of their natural habitat thrived and reproduced, while those species that failed to evolve and reproduce died off. Darwin noticed similarities among species all over the globe, along with variations based on specific locations, leading him to believe that the species we know today had gradually evolved from common ancestors.
Darwin’s theory of evolution and the process of natural selection later became known simply as “Darwinism.” At the time, other naturalists believed that all species either came into being at the start of the world or were created over the course of natural history. In either case, they believed species remained much the same throughout time.
‘Origin of Species’
In 1858, after years of scientific investigation, Darwin publicly introduced his revolutionary theory of evolution in a letter read at a meeting of the Linnean Society. On November 24, 1859, he published a detailed explanation of his theory in his best-known work, ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection’. In the next century, DNA studies provided scientific evidence to prove Darwin’s theory of evolution.
-Dr Siddhivinayak Barve
Editor, ScienceNow
