Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Essay

Evolution: Charles Darwin's theory was that species change over time, or evolve, in response to their environment. A good example of this is the evolution of the Kangaroo. Approximately 55 MYA the kangaroos looked quite similar to a possum and it was a tree dweller with a prehensile tail, but as Gondwana split up, the rainforests disappeared, the climate became hotter and the land dry and arid, the kangaroo evolved along the way and have come to look like what they do now.

Darwin was the British naturalist who became famous for his theories of evolution and natural selection. Like several scientists before him, Darwin believed all the life on earth evolved over millions of years from a few common ancestors. From 1831 to 1836 Darwin served as naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle on a British science expedition around the world. In South America Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species. On the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean he noticed many variations among plants and animals of the same general type as those in South America. The expedition visited places around the world, and Darwin studied plants and animals everywhere he went, collecting specimens for further study.

Darwin’s observations from the islands made him want to come up with some explanation to why this occurred. He began to do research of each the species that had lived on these islands and observe all of the

When Darwin traveled over to the Galapagos island he traveled on a ship called the HMS Beagle. Darwin traveled to the Galapagos island to get information about evolution with the animals there. When he was there he observed tortoises, when he observed these animals he got a understanding of evolution over time. He saw that the tortoises in the area with food low to the floor had a flatter shell and a short neck, but when he observed tortoises with food high up he saw that the tortoises had a long neck and raised shell. Over time the tortoises evolved she they can survive in their environments. When he was their he wrote a book called the Darwins book on the origin of species. The information that he wrote about was information about species that were not fixed but could change over time by natural causes.

The original purpose of Darwin’s voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle was to find evidence that could prove the biblical theory to be true, and to discover and chart the South American coastline which was not well known. He was to collect specimens of rocks, plants, minerals and animals along with observing and recording them. The ultimate significance of this trip for Darwin was rather than being able to prove that the biblical theory, he had evidence of evolution by natural selection. He found fossils of Glyptodont and Megatherium which were very similar to the common armadillo which led him to question whether the Earth was 6000 years old as it was believed to be or much older than that, and when collecting the common bird discovered differences

Previously, he had been inspired by Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology, which stated “present conditions and processes are clues to Earth’s past history.” While on the Beagle’s journey, Darwin sent home a total of 1,529 species that had been maintained in spirit as well as 3,907 desiccated specimens with labels (Biography Online). A breakthrough in Darwin’s studies was when he noticed certain forms of organisms subsist in particular areas, as well as that a wide variety of organisms had previously gone through changes that enabled them to stay alive in their particular environment (Notable Biographies). For instance, he studied the Finch in the Galapagos Islands and noticed that there are over twelve different forms of this one bird. These bird’s beaks were different sizes and shapes, depending on what food was available in their particular area. The animals on the Galapagos Islands showed many similarities to other animals in other parts of the world (Biography Online). Between the discovery of the different Finches along with the similarities of animals from other locations, he began to wonder if there was something more to earth’s history. These observations would later lead him to his theory

Although Darwin had few fossils to back his theory, the fossils were a key factor in the study of biological evolution. According to the Importance of Fossils, " By studying fossils we can learn not only about the creatures and plants of the distant past, but how they grew, what they ate, how they interacted, and many aspects of their behavior". If we know how the creatures used to eat and some of their behaviors we can determine how they have evolved overtime. Some of their habits might have changed in order to adapt and survive in their environment. You can learn many different things by studying fossils. For example, from a fossil you can tell how old it is. You can even tell the types of climates that the fossil has endured; such as the

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution centres on the idea that species compete to survive, and favorable characteristics are passed on from one generation to the next. Darwin said that evolution took place by a process of natural selection or survival of the fittest. This meant that the animals and plants best suited to their surroundings survived and were able to pass on their genes to their offspring. The ones that weren't best suited died off and didn't get the chance to reproduce.

By discovering similarities among various species, Charles Darwin concluded that all species had a common ancestor. He then developed a theory of evolution that species changed over time to adapt the changing environment. However, for those who failed to change and adapt, they gradually became extinct. He believed that species evolved through natural

When the name Charles Darwin is uttered, an immediate association brings about the concept of Evolution. Although he was not the first to "discover" this phenomenon, he was the first to explain it. In his book, The Origin of Species, Darwin discusses evolution- through variation, why it occurs, the struggle for existence, natural selection, the geological record, and several other topics. This book brought him great recognition as well as many violent attacks. It was written in a time in history when the people were very strong believers in the Church and God. Darwin was the first to contradict their religious beliefs of Creation, and was pummeled with criticism. Although today some still disagree, his explanation of

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

Darwin and Evolution are inextricably linked in the minds of most people who have had the opportunity to study them in basic biology. However, Darwin's theories of selection and survival of the fittest have been applied to moral, economic, political, and other cultural aspects of society. Dennett briefly touched on some of the political and social ramifications of Darwin's theories in the final chapter of Darwin's Dangerous Idea. Other philosophers and thinkers have also adapted Darwin's evolutionary ideas, in order to apply them in a societal or cultural context. One great example of this adaptation of the biological concept of evolution, is the appearance of Social Darwinism during the 19th century.

Charles Darwin was a man who shaped the way in which we think about evolution in modern times. He brought forth and described the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest. To fully understand modern evolutionary thoughts it is necessary for one to completely understand the early theories of Charles Darwin. In this paper I will provide the reader with a complete background on Charles Darwin, describe his voyage on the HMS Beagle, and discuss his theory of natural selection.

Starting over 500 years ago with Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton paving the way for the possibility of new scientific exploration into studies such as “stratigraphy, the study of the rock and soil layers of the earth” by Robert Hooke and Carolus Linnaeus’ study of taxonomy, “the system of naming and classifying organisms” based on morphological similarities and differences, humanity would begin to uncrack the code of where life came from in a nonbiblical sense. (Fuentes, 26) Further studies by George-Louis Leclerc – Comte du Buffon, Erasmus Darwin (Charles’ grandfather), Georges Cuvier, James Hutton and Charles Lyell as well as Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet – Chevalier de Lamarck’s studies in which he “correctly identified the environment as a challenge to organisms and adaptation as the result of changing to meet environmental challenges” helped prompt the formulation of the current understanding of evolution by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace each in their own special way.

While on the Galápagos Islands, Darwin kept notebooks about all the species there, and he noticed the variety of tortoises on the island who were essential in explaining his theory of evolution. There are several species of tortoise present on the Galápagos Islands that are all very closely related, but slightly different. There are eleven presently surviving subspecies of Galápagos tortoises; furthermore, six of the eleven are found on different islands in the archipelago, and the other five are all found on a single island on five separate volcanoes with their own mini-ecosystems (PNAS). Although all of the species of Galápagos tortoise is different, they each have small differences that can include maximum adult size, shell shape, and the length of the neck and limbs. The tortoises of the islands are most closely related to the Chaco tortoises along the western coast of South America, and they most likely came to the Galápagos by “rafting” across the water (PNAS). Similar to the tortoises, Darwin observed that the Finches on the islands also had changed to match the environment. Spread among the islands were fourteen subspecies of finch whose