Biography Of Father Of Evolution – Charles Darwin & His Darwinism :

The famous naturalist and biologist  Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, in the small  merchant town of Shrewsbury, England. A child of wealth and privilege who loved to explore nature, Darwin was the second youngest of six kids.

 

The full  name of Charles Darwin is Charles Robert Darwin . He was a British naturalist and biologist known for his theory of evolution and his understanding of the process of natural selection. In 1831, he embarked on a five-year voyage around the world on the HMS beagle , during which time his studies of various plants and an led him to formulate his theories. In 1859, he published his landmark book, On the Origin of species..

Darwin had  long line of scientists in his family. His father, Dr. R.W. Darwin, was a medical doctor, and his grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, was a renowned botanist. Darwin’s mother, Susanna, died when he was only eight years old.

The education of Darwin started  from the University of  Edinburgh in October 1825, at the  age 16. At University he was  along with his brother Erasmus. Two years later, he became a student at Christ college in cambridge .     His father Dr. R.W. Darwin hoped he would follow in his footsteps and become a medical doctor, but the sight of blood made Darwin queasy. His father suggested he study to become a parson instead, but Darwin was far more inclined to study natural history.

At Christ’s College, botany professor John Stevens Henslow became his mentor. Later Darwin graduated Christ’s College with a bachelor of arts degree in 1831, Henslow recommended him for a naturalist’s position aboard the the hms beagle.

The ship, commanded by Captain Robert FitzRoy, was to take a five-year survey trip around the world. The voyage would prove the opportunity of a lifetime for the budding young naturalist.

On December 27, 1831, the hms beagle  launched its voyage around the world with Darwin aboard. Over the course of the trip, Darwin collected a variety of natural specimens, including birds, plants and fossils.

Through hands-on research and experimentation, he had the unique opportunity to closely observe principles of botany, geology and zoology. The Pacific Islands and Galapagos Archipelago were of particular interest to Darwin, as was South America.

The trip had a monumental effect on Darwin’s view of natural history. He began to develop a revolutionary theory about the origin of living beings that ran contrary to the popular view of other naturalists at the time.

Theory of Evolution

Theory of evolution   declared that species survived through a   “natural selection,”  process . where those that successfully adapted or evolved to meet the changing requirements of their natural habitat thrived and reproduced, while those species that failed to evolve and reproduce died off.   Through his observations and studies of birds, plants and fossils, Darwin noticed similarities among species all over the globe, along with variations based on specific locations, leading him to believe that the species we know today had gradually evolved from common ancestors.   Darwin’s theory of evolution and the process of natural selection later became known simply as “Darwinism.”

 The book ‘Origin of Species’

In 1858, after years of scientific examination , Darwin publicly introduced his  theory of evolution . On  November 24, 1859, he published a detailed explanation of his theory in his best-known work, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.

In the next century, DNA studies provided scientific evidence for Darwin’s theory of evolution. However, controversy surrounding its conflict with Creationism — the religious view that all of nature was born of God is still found among some people today.

Death

Charles Darwin died at his family home, Down House, in London, on April 19, 1882.