April 19th 1882 is the day that Charles Darwin passed away. We remember this great scientist and celebrate his life’s teachings! Charles Darwin is one of the most important scientists we have knowledge of because his theories changed the way that we view the development of all living beings.
Born on February 12, 1809, Charles Darwin had an early interest in the natural world. He gave up his medical studies to pursue his passion for the natural sciences. Greatly influenced by observations of earlier scientists, such as botany professor John Henslow, Darwin decided to investigate how living beings developed and evolved.
Darwin embarked on a 5-year voyage to study nature. As he journeyed aboard the HMS Beagle, Darwin wrote his theories about evolution, natural selection and the effects of beings on the earth as well as effects of the environment on living creatures. In 1859, Darwin published On the Origin of Species, a book that theorized the changes of living beings as they evolve and develop.
The theories on evolution conceived by Charles Darwin are, in part, impacted by Darwin’s trip to the Galapagos Islands in South America. There, Darwin observed that creatures, some of them finches, were unique from island to island within the Galapagos chain; however, the populations adapted to and changed with the atmosphere of each island. For example: All of the finches were descendent from the same lineage but had altered their physical state to acclimate to the island they inhabited. Therefore, Darwin concluded that living creatures evolve and develop to accommodate their lives within the environment they inhabit.
Darwin’s theories about evolution revolutionized the way that life was thought about. On the Origin of Species, Darwin’s book,altered scientific perception about biological origins of life in a dramatically controversial way!
Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
Galapogos Islands `
Charles Darwin and his Finches