Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin, widely considered as one of the greatest and most
revolutionizing scientists in history, was the British naturalist who
formulated the theory of evolution. Pre-Darwin, it was thought that each
species of life on earth came individually and that none had ever
changed its form. He confuted this notion and demonstrated from his
research that evolution is the law of nature and all living things on
earth have descended from common ancestors who lived millions of years
ago. He proved that animals and plants have evolved in an orderly manner
and keep on evolving even today.
Early Life:
Born at Shrewsbury in 1809, Darwin was raised by his eldest sister
from the tender age of eight. Young Darwin had a passion for gathering
up even insects and minerals and he used to experiment with them. When
Darwin was 16, he joined Edinburg University to study medicine. However,
he was too gentle and tender to become a proper physician. Anatomy, in
particular, sickened him. He hated the surgical operations, because they
had to be performed without any anesthetics at that time. This made
Darwin a great failure as a medical student.
Darwin said goodbye to Edinburg in 1828 and sought admission in
Cambridge to study Theology. There, he also disregarded his studies and
was more interested in beetles than theology. He was lucky to attain his
degree anyhow. At Cambridge, he managed to make valuable friends, even
befriending the professors of botany and geology.
Contributions and Achievements:
Darwin got his big break in 1831. A naturalist was needed to travel
along on a scientific expedition – a voyage around the world in the
brigantine HMBS Beagle under the supervision of Captain Fits Roy.
Luckily, some of his Cambridge fellows also recommended him for the
place. The voyage took around five years.
Throughout this voyage, Darwin collected bones of extinct animals. He
was curious about the relationship between the extinct animals and the
existing ones. The unusual marine iguana, the tortoises and the finches
on the Galapagos Islands in the pacific made him perplexed, since
similar, yet rather distinct, forms of the same animals were found on
separate islands. These observations led to his legendary ideas on
evolution.
After the return, Darwin moved to London for a while and compiled an
account of his travels. Darwin got married to his cousin Emma Wedgowood
in 1839. The coupled moved to Downe House in Kent in 1844. There, Darwin
got a letter from the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who had made
similar observations about evolution separately. A collaborative report
by Darwin and Wallace was published in 1858. Darwin publicized the
theory of evolution in his famous book, “The Origin of Species by
Natural Selection”, in 1859. The book, which asserted that all the
varied forms of life on earth could, in the course of time, have evolved
from a common ancestry, was a huge success. Darwin also commented that
in the struggle for life, only the ‘fittest’ creatures would survive
while others fail.
The book became controversial due to its conflict with the religious
belief about the creation of the world. However, in later years, it was
embraced by all biologists. Darwin’s another book, “The Variation of
Animals and Plants Under Domestication”, came out in 1868. It is
considered to be his second most significant work. The book maintains
that man, by selective breeding, could make rather different breeds of
pigeons, dogs, and some species of plants also. His work also included
“The Various Contrivances by which Orchids are Fertilised by Insects”,
“Insectivorous Plants”, “The Power of Movement in Plants”, “Descent of
Man”, and “The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of
Worms”.
Later Life and Death:
Charles Darwin died at 74 and he was buried in Westminster Abbey,
fairly near to the tomb of Sir Issac Newton. Out of his 10 children, of
whom seven survived him, four became prominent scientists. Three of his
sons went on to become fellows of the Royal Society, just like their
legendary father.
