Charles Darwin was an important researcher and left significant contributions in the field of studies onevolution. this naturalistBrit was born in England and throughout The his life, demonstrated interest in çexperience. Since little performed experiments, with your brother, in a laboratory. He started medical school when he was young, but dropped it because it wasn't an area he really loved. His great passion was Natural History.
One of the most important points in Darwin's life was his trip aboard the Beagle. On this trip, he collected information that was indispensable for the creation of his theory. Darwin published his famous book,"The Origin of Species", in 1859. He was married, had 10 children and died in 1882.
Read too: What is evolution?
Childhood and youth
Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, in England, more precisely in the city of Shrewsbury. He was the son of physician Robert Darwin and Suzannah Wedgwood, who died when Darwin was just 8 years old. Until at that age, Darwin did not attend school, receiving study at home. Afterwards he was sent to a local school, which was very strict.
Since childhood, Darwin already showed his I like science, standing out for its collections of different objects. In addition to being a collector, Darwin learned to hunt, fish and ride horses during his childhood. developed alsoexperiences in a laboratory of chemistry ridden by him andfurhis brother Erasmus.
On turning 16, Darwin was sent to the University of Edinburgh to study Medicine. However, he did not identify with the course, mainly because he had a phobia The blood and because the surgeries were performed without the use of anesthesia. He dropped out of the course in 1827.
After returning home, Darwin was sent to Christ's College in Cambridge. There he started the course in Arts and also studied to pursue a religious career. At that time, he mountedor its famous collection of beetles and also amplifiedor his studies in Natural History.In Cambridge, Darwin he knew john Stevens Henslow, that it would be an extremely important influence in his life.
Travel on the Beagle
After finishing the Arts course, Darwin began to devote himself fully àHstory Natural. A milestone in his life was the trip aboard the Beagle, a ship that aimed to map the coast of South America. This trip was encouraged by his friend Henslow, however, it was not fully supported by Darwin's father.
The trip aboard the Beagle, which began in 1831, was extremely enriching, since Darwin managed to observe several fossils dand animals and other living organisms in its habitat.In Galapagos, for example, he watched the finches (birds), which were important for his understanding of the natural selection. In the archipelago, he found that these birds did not they were a single species, with great variation between islands. These variations, according to Darwin, would be related to food and the habitat of each of them.
Lhey too: Consequences of habitat destruction
Beagle Return
The trip aboard the Beagle lasted five years and yielded a number of material important to Darwin's studies. The collected materials, in addition to helping him in the development of the evolutionary theory, helped this researcher to publish books about the fauna and flora of the places he visited.
In 1842,Darwin wrote the first version of the famous book "The Origin of Species". He, at first, did not publish the material, because of a seriesin issues such as religion. In 1858, Alfred Russel Wallace sent a letter The Darwin on what had very similar ideas to the naturalist's. Darwin, then, was advised by some fellow researchers to make a joint presentation with Wallace, in order to avoid that his entire study would be in vain, if Wallace published it first.
Wallace and Darwin gave a joint presentation of their ideas and a year later Darwin published “The Origin of Species", on November 22, 1859. To this day, it is considered one of the most influential works of all times.
Darwin's personal life
Darwin was married in 1839 to his cousin Emma Wedgwood and had ten children. Three of his children died in infancy, and the death of his 10-year-old daughter Anne was extremely important to the naturalist. Darwin died on April 19, 1882, probably due to a heart attack. He is buried in Westminster Abbey, next to the great scientist Isaac Newton.
Read too: Fossils - the record of living beings that lived in the past
snatural choice
THE natural selection is one of the key points evolutionary theory proposed by Darwin. According to the naturalist, the medium was O responsible for selecting the fittest individual to live in an environment. The fittest individuals survived, reproduced and passed on their characteristics to their descendants.
Using Darwin's idea, we can explain, for example, how the long neck giraffes. In the past, there were short-necked giraffes as well as long-necked individuals. Short-necked giraffes had fewer advantages when feeding, as they could not eat leaves on taller plants. Long-necked giraffes, in this case, had an advantage, as they were able to feed more efficiently. Because they were more successful than short-necked giraffes, long-necked giraffes had greater chance of surviving and reproducing, passing this advantageous feature on to their descendants.
