Charles Darwin

PIONEER of evolutionary thinking Darwin’s theory that all living things have evolved from simple life forms made him one of the greatest biologists of all time. Charles Darwin

In 1831, Darwin joined a five-year scientific expedition as a naturalist on a ship called the

HMS Beagle. He made notes and drew sketches of many of the plants and animals he came across. On the GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS in the Pacific, he was struck by how the beaks of the finches varied according to their diet.

Charles with his sister Catherine

The Beagle took nearly four years to reach the Galápagos Islands.

Love of nature

Born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, Charles Darwin began studying medicine, but he hated the sight of blood. He soon realized his real passion was for the NATURAL WORLD around him.

Who came before…

Did you know? For Darwin’s 25th birthday, the captain of the Beagle named a Chilean mountain after him.

French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck noticed the similarities in the animals he studied. This led him to publish his theory in 1801, in which he stated that the gradual change of species occurs over time. British biologist aLfred

russeL WaLLace came up with a similar theory of evolution and shared it with Darwin in 1858, prompting Darwin to rush ahead and publish his ideas first.

By the way… I worked on my theory in secret for more than 20 years; only a few of my closest friends knew about it.

After years of research, Darwin proposed his theory of evolution by natural selection in 1858. He argued that organisms with features that suit a particular environment are more likely to SURVIVE – these features are naturally selected and passed on to their offspring.

This sketch from Darwin’s notebook shows life forms evolving like the branches of a tree.

Darwin’s On the Origin of Species has never been out of print since it was first published.

Controversy

Darwin’s revolutionary book, On the Origin of Species, was published in 1859. His ideas challenged the religious thinking of the time – that God created all living things. However, by the time of his death in 1882, his theory was WIDELY ACCEPTED by the scientific community.

How he changed the world

Darwin’s ideas provided an explanation for the diversity of life, and separated science from religion. His work is the basis of the natural sciences today.

Who came after…

In 1883, German biologist August WeismAnn put forward his theory on how inheritance works. Weismann noted that characteristics do not blend in as was thought but were passed on through factors (now known as genes). British scientist RichARd dAWkins wrote The Selfish Gene, an influential book about evolution that was published in 1976. He argued that natural selection acts on genes, selecting the fittest gene and making them more common in the population.