Charles
Darwin, the son of a wealthy British doctor, was sent as a young man to study
medicine in Edinburgh, then to Cambridge to study for the ministry. There he
came under the influence of scientists and naturalists who inspired new
interests in him. After a few years, his tutors suggested that he sail on a
navy ship to South America, Australia, and various islands (most notably the
Gblapagos, off the coast of Ecuador) to study the flora and fauna there.
Darwin's
five-year voyage (1831-37) aboard the HMS Beagle would not only change his
life, but the very way in which we understand life itself. It was on this trip
that he made his first fossil discoveries, witnessed a volcanic eruption, and
absorbed the concept of "deep time" explored in the recently published
Principles of Geology by Charles Lyell. Darwin observed special adaptations
organisms had for obtaining food and avoiding predators. He reasoned that
organisms evolved from simpler states through what he called "survival of
the fittest." Over time, he wrote, "the result of this [natural
selection] would be the formation of a new species."
In
1858, Darwin was still writing a book detailing his theory of evolution when a
letter arrived from Alfred Russel Wallace, an English naturalist, describing a
similar theory. A few months later, Darwin presented their collaborative work
at a meeting of the Linnaean Society of London, and in
1859 Darwin published ‘On the Origin of Species’.
All
1,250 copies of the
first edition were sold in one day. Twelve years later, Darwin published a
sequel, ‘The Descent of Man’, which described how his theory applied to humans.
His books sparked a scientific revolution that has made the theory of evolution
a central principle of the life sciences.
The
implications of that theory have provoked rancorous debate ever since,
particularly from religious groups who protest that it rejects biblical teachings about the creation
of the universe and does not acknowledge any role for a divine creator. It may
seem ironic, then, that the man most closely associated with evolution was
himself raised in a religious home and school, and was very familiar with the
Bible and with Christian beliefs. Despite numerous
competing theories, public protests, and efforts to ban the teaching of
evolution in schools, most scientists
today believe that the evidence supporting evolution is overwhelming. (The New
York Times ‘Smarter by Sunday – 52 Weekends of Essential Knowledge for the
Curious Mind’)
