Charles Darwin's On The Origin Of Species

Fossils provide a unique view into the history of life by showing the forms and features of life in the past. Fossils tell us how species have changed across long periods of the Earth’s history. For instance, in 1998, scientists found a fossil showing an animal at the transition from sea creature to land creature. This tetrapod had a hand-like fin, confirming a prediction of evolutionary biology. Though the fossil record does not include every plant and animal that ever lived, it provides substantial evidence for the common descent of life via evolution. The fossil record is a remarkable gift for the study of nature. That is why most of the evidence for evolution comes from the fossil record. Fossils show how much, or how little, organisms have changed over time. One of the problems with

As humans evolve, they will change. Through the years, humans will both change mentally and physically. Through research and reasoning, people can only predict what might be the next human evolution. Much of what is predicted is based on the world that humans live in today. Some day, humans might be even be able to change their own genetics as science and technology advances.

Darwin wanted to further his studies in plant and animal life, and he also became interested in the similarities of plant and animal species to those of the human species. He noticed that humans too also had to develop new characteristics that would help them adapt to their environments. This made him want to look further into where humans came from and also question the idea of creationism. He argued that men are animals because they have to adapt to their surroundings just as animals do. He suggested that the stronger animals have a better survival chance and they produce offspring that carry this trait. A whole new population of species can derive from these offspring and traits that have evolved from older generations and species. This became known as Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

In 1837, Charles Darwin was traveling aboard the H.M.S. Beagle in the Eastern Pacific when he stopped on the Galapagos Islands. There, Darwin found a wide array of animals including the Galápagos finches. The differences that he uncovered between these animals sparked Darwin’s interest; he had never before seen nor attempted to understand the similarities and differences inherent within these species. Examining each and uncovering the probable reasons for their distinctions, namely their differing needs for adaptation, Darwin constructed his theory of natural selection. From his observations on the Galapagos Islands, Darwin continued developing his research into eventually what became known as the Origin of Species, published in 1858. In this book, he asserted that these animals and differing species did not just appeared out of thin air, but rather had evolved from other species through the process of natural selection. Yet, his scientific findings were not accepted by the general public when first published, nor long after. Instead, they sparked a great uproar and criticism, since for most people accepted the theory of the Creation, the belief of divine creation, as the way people and species appeared on earth. His findings, so contrary to the then accepted norm of creation, were met with hostility and resentment by many who considered his work

This paper discusses the theory of evolution in detail. Topics this paper will address include defining the theory of evolution and explaining how the theory has evolved over time, as well as highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the theory and examining how effective the theory is in today’s world.

This is believed to be a transitional between reptile and bird. However, there are six points that these supporters use with counterarguments with each one. First, this animal had a long bony tail similar to that of a reptile's (Martin). Conversely, most birds have a tail vertebrae in the embryonic stage which eventually forms into the pgyostyle which is an upstanding bone. The second point is that the Archaeopteryx had claws on its feet and feathered forelimbs (Martin). This cannot be used as evidence because many birds, such as the ostrich for example, have claws so it is not just a characteristic of reptiles (Martin). The third argument was that the bird had teeth but yet so did many ancient birds in the Mesozoic (Martin). The fourth statement used is the presence of a shallow breastbone (Martin). Similarly, most modern birds have the same shallow breastbone that are still classified solely as birds. The second last argument for the Archaeopteryx being the transitional fossil is the its bones were not hollow like modern birds but rather solid. This statement cannot be used however because it was discovered in recent years that the long bones in the bird are hollow. The final point and counterargument is that it predates the general arrival of birds by millions of years (Martin). A geologist in 1977 discovered bird fossils in western Colorado that dated as far back as 60-million years

Charles Darwin’s book sparked large debates across the world, large numbers of reviews, critiques and negative responses were published. When Darwin released the book “The origin of species” he was more worried about the effects it would have on his fellow scientists than the public. “Through all this, Darwin largely kept his nose out of things, safely hidden in the comfort of Down House, trying to tease out what reviewers thought of his science amidst all the politics and rhetoric.”(“Chalres Darwin & Evolution” (2009).). Darwin kept on with his work, publishing the evolution in plants, animals (including humans), adding to the large amount of evidence he had collected over the years. As the scientific world started to come to terms with evolutional theory, Darwin collected more and more evidence which started to go in his favour.

Creationists obviously have to account for the fact that the world is not perfect as described in Genesis 1 and 2. They explain this through Genesis chapter 3, where Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. She and Adam her husband who was with her, learned of the knowledge of good and evil, thus ushering in sin into the world. This also brought death upon all creation, as God promised would happen if they ate of the fruit. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12, KJV).

The coalescence of the publication of Charles Darwin’s radical new book On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859) and the American Civil War (1861-1865) brought about a dramatic end to transcendentalism and the American Romanticism period that dominated the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. American intellectuals began to apply the knowledge gained from Origin of Species to more fields than just biology. This dynamic understanding (evolution) of life ushered in a period of Naturalism. Naturalist literature was based on the following four basic assumptions : The origin of man is brute matter caught in a struggle for survival; Individual strengths and weaknesses are the results of heredity and chance; Everything is

His evidence for this hypothesis came from various different fields of science, but all built up his case for evolution. Darwin found evolutionary evidence from paleontology by observing fossil evidence which linked him to the similarities and differences of past and present species and revealed extinct species due to natural selection. In particular, he could see anatomical homology, using fossils or a common structure due to a common ancestor, as well as any evidence from vestigial structures. Vestigial structures are anatomical structures that are left over from an ancestor but no longer serve a function. Another source of evidence was geology because Darwin had read the work of Charles Lyell who had proposed the idea that natural forces over millions of years gradually sculpt earth’s surface and causes a changing environment. This theory corresponded to Darwin’s

Charles Darwin’s The Voyage of the Beagle showcased a new manner of writing that differed with what other writers of the time period were focusing on. Later authors would take inspiration from Darwin’s work and apply it to their own writings. One such writer was Elizabeth Bishop whose poem “The Fish” echoes the manner of writing Darwin put forth in The Voyage of the Beagle. Darwin’s scientific method of observation inspires contemporary and modern writers, such as Bishop, to challenge romantic styles of writing by utilizing an intense usage of the senses in description and providing a non-human protagonist for their work, furthering the underlying theme of the consequences of human thoughts and behavior and the surrounding environment.

Over time, different species learn to adapt to their living environment in order to survive. If a genetic change of a characteristic is passed down through generations, a formation of a new species occurs (G, Linstead et. al., 2012). A variation to the characteristic of an individual can increase its survival and this provides more opportunities to reproduce. When the individual reproduces, the offspring benefit in result of the heritable genes and eventually through generations, the variants will be spread throughout the entire population (Montgomery, 2009). Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection can be supported through both fossils and homologous structures.

A simplified definition of evolution is the steady development of a certain thing or being. Evolution does not dictate that the resulting creation will be ‘better’ or ‘more perfect’ than its original form, but simply different and evolved. Evolution was a comfortably grasped concept in the Victorian Age; however, natural selection was not so easily welcomed. Natural selection is the theory which Darwin spent many years researching and developing; basically, the ideals of Thomas Malthus were applied to the natural world by both Darwin and fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (Padian 2008).

Older works are filled with thoughts and notions that today would be considered ‘racist’ or ‘sexist,’ and thus modern readers are tempted to disregard important historical works because the authors may not stand on the same moral grounds as the 21st century readers. Darwin’s opinions of non-European races and women in On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man are considered harshly critical. Thus, both are prime examples of books that can be considered sexist or racist if they are considered according to the values of 2016. However, historians look past the current-day standards to more fully understand why primary-source books are written and the messages that the authors were trying to portray at the time. Historians will look the world

In 1682 an early English scientist, John Ray, stated that all forms of life were linked together in a kind of chain. In the 1700’s two Frenchmen discovered 1) that there were tiny differences between generations of creatures and those differences produced new kinds of creatures and 2) changes in the environment caused animals to adapt until after many generations, new forms of animals appear. All these ideas were largely just speculation until Darwin traveled “over 40,000 miles making observations all over the world and spent long years of study and experimentation. His close observations and vast discoveries about nature’s wonders such as marine fossils in the Andes at 12,000 feet, geese with webbed feet that never went near water, or even birds whose beaks varied according to what they eat changed the world. He allowed the land and creatures to speak to him and he listened.” (Darwin, vii) In 1858, twenty-two years after he stepped off the ship, the Beagle, he unleashed the “storm” of the century and presented his theories on evolution. Debates began to rage, continuing to this day. Even as the arguments continue, new evidence accumulates to back up Darwin’s theories. “Modern research has put together some of Darwin’s puzzles and answered questions he could not even have formulated…By studying