Charles Darwin Charles Darwin was a British scientist who lived in the nineteenth century. He was born in England in 1809. Darwin s concept of natural selection changed the way people thought about the development of life, especially the evolution of man. Darwin went to the University of Edinburgh to study medicine, but he dropped out before finishing and went instead to the University of Cambridge to become a preacher. While he was there, he met two men that had an important influence on his future. One was Adam Sedgwick, a geologist, and the other was John Stevens Henslow, a scientist who studied nature. After Darwin graduated from Cambridge, Henslow convinced him to come aboard the ship HMS Beagle as an unpaid assistant. They would travel around the world observing nature. Darwin was impressed with nature. He was amazed by the way natural forces had shaped the surface of the earth. It was believed at the time that some catastrophic event had quickly and dramatically destroyed whatever had existed before and changed the earth to its present form. This theory was called the catastrophist theory, and it was applied to the creation of species as well. Catastrophists believed that each species had been created individually and separately from all other species. Charles Darwin changed the catastrophist way of thinking. The more he observed nature, the more he noticed things that did not fit with the theory that each species was created independently of others. For example, he noticed that fossils of species that were said to be extinct look a lot like species that were living in the area at that time. Many of Darwin s most important observations were made in the Galapagos Islands near Ecuador. Each island seemed to have its own form of species, like tortoises and birds. The tortoises on one island, for example, look very similar to the tortoises on the other islands, but there were also notable differences in their appearance and eating habits. Darwin began to wonder if there were links between species that had some similarities but were not entirely alike. Darwin began to write about his ideas. He compiled his notes into his Notebooks on the Transmutation of Species. Transmutation means
Charles Darwin (cont d) change. Specifically in Darwin s case, it referred to the idea that species slowly evolved that is changed and developed over time. He reasoned that because there was not enough food and resources to go around, creatures had to compete for survival. It was the fittest members of a species that survived, while the weaker members were unable to survive. This idea is known as Darwin s theory of survival of the fittest. He believed that nature kept the population of species in check through a process he called natural selection and that natural selection applied to plants, animals and even human beings. Humans, according to Darwin, had evolved from ape-like ancestors that existed millions of years ago. For two decades, Charles Darwin worked on refining his theory. In 1858, he presented his ideas in a scientific paper. The following year, his book On the Origin of Species was published. The book was sold out on its first day in circulation! In the book, Darwin described his theory that the young of any species compete for food and resources. The ones that survive tend to have more favorable traits, even if they are only slightly different from those that do not survive. They pass these favorable traits along to offspring who also compete for survival. In this way, species evolve and change slowly, supposedly for the better, over time. Darwin s theory of evolution was a source of great conflict. Some people disputed it, claiming he could not prove it. Others were opposed to Darwin s ideas for religious reasons, believing that human beings were a special and unique creation of God and could not have evolved from other species. Darwin spent the rest of his life expanding on his theories about evolution, and eventually, modern science came to agree with him. His theories now hold an important place in our understanding of life.
Charles Darwin Questions 1. Charles Darwin was a a. medical doctor. b. scientist who studied nature. c. Both d. Neither 2. What was the name of the ship Darwin traveled on to study nature? 3. Catastrophists believed that a. a single event had changed the way the earth was formed. b. the world was changing for the worst. c. all species had a common origin. d. All of these 4. Darwin developed a theory that is called a. Darwin s theory of evolution. b. survival of the fittest. c. Both d. Neither 5. Darwin s ideas about evolution a. did not apply to humans. b. only applied to humans. c. applied to all species of animals. d. applied to all species of animals and plants. 6. Where did Darwin make his most important observations?
Charles Darwin Questions (cont d) 7. Darwin s book On the Origin of Species a. was immediately widely accepted. b. quickly made the New York Times Bestseller List. c. sold out in its first day of publication. d. was banned by the Queen for its anti-religious ideas. 8. Darwin s believed that species evolved a. because there was competition for food and resources. b. only the fittest members of a species survived. c. the fittest members of the species survived and passed their positive traits on to the next generation. d. All of the above 9. What religious viewpoint was threatened by Darwin s theories? a. Man is a unique and separate creation of God. b. Man is evolved from apes. c. God punishes weaker members of a species. d. None of these 10. Darwin s theories a. were eventually found to be incorrect. b. were eventually accepted by modern science. c. are still almost always debated. d. are really his own opinion.
Charles Darwin Answers 1. b 2. HMS Beagle 3. a 4. c 5. d 6. The Galapagos Islands 7. c 8. d 9. a 10. b