Aleksandra Bojović
CHARLES DARWIN
Publishing House PČELICA Kolubarska 4, Čačak, Serbia office@pcelica.rs www.pcelica.rs
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or his whole life he nurtured a child-like curiosity. His name is Charles Darwin and the story that follows will take us to the world of scientific truths and misconceptions and, most importantly, to the world of eternal wondering about the miracle called life.
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Charles Darwin
The Scientist of Evolution Charles Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, in the English
county called Shropshire. He was born as the fifth child to a rich and influential family which produced many successful doctors and scientists. Nevertheless, young Charles became the family’s greatest and most significant representative in the scientific world. His evolutionary1 theory, based on the idea of natural selection2 changed the world. When Charles was eight years old, his mother Susannah died and his father Robert and older sister became responsible for his upbringing. The greatest influence on his choice to study science came from his grandfather Erasmus Darwin, who Charles never had a chance to meet in fact, because he died a year before Charles was born. Evolution is the gradual development of something. A selection is a choice. Darwin’s evolutionary theory is based on the idea of a natural selection, which means that more complex life forms develop from a selection of specimens capable of adaptation and survival. 1 2
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The Curiosity of a Future Scientist Growing up careless in wealth and prosperity, surrounded
with the love of his older sisters, young Darwin could freely give way to his imagination and the magic of nature. While still a young boy, he showed an affection for nature and for the dedicated observation of things in it. He especially enjoyed watching insects, rocks and plants. A little later he developed an affinity for systematizing1 and preserving them. These were indications that he would become a scientist.
Systematization is the classification and grouping of objects and phenomena based on a pre-established rule. 1
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Like other children, young Charles loved to play. For him, gardening, horse riding and fishing on the nearby river were the greatest source of amusement. 9
A Doctor, a Priest or a Scientist? It is characteristic of young people to have different desires
and to be unsure about what they want to do in life. Charles Darwin was also like that. Thoughts on Dawdling A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.
Charles Darwin
After graduating from an elite secondary school in his hometown of Shrewsbury, Charles followed his father’s footsteps and enrolled in the Medical School at the University of Edinburg. However, he gave up on medicine and started theology1 at Cambridge2. Theology is the study of God and religion. Cambridge University, as well as Oxford, is the most elite and oldest English university. It was founded by a group of professors who left Oxford in 1209. A long-lasting rivalry exists between these two universities. 1 2
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Cambridge University
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Aleksandra Bojović
CHARLES DARWIN
Publishing House PČELICA Kolubarska 4, Čačak, Serbia office@pcelica.rs www.pcelica.rs