Charles Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shropshire, England, on February 12, 1809. As a child, he was extremely interested in nature and in collecting things. His family encouraged him. In 1825, his father sent him to Edinburgh to study medicine. Charles didn’t want to disappoint his father as he and his grandad were also doctors. However, in 1828 he left Edinburgh to study botany (biology) in Cambridge. There, he met Reverend John Stevens Henslow who encouraged him to pursuit his curiosity. He also recommended him to embark on a five-year expedition on the H.M.S. Beagle in 1831. Captain Robert Fitzroy was to cartograph South America for the Empire, but as a naturalist, Charles wanted to explore and find out about the flora and fauna abroad. In 1835, they reached the Galapagos Islands, crawling with marine iguanas and giant tortoises. There, Darwin collected fossils, draw pictures and gathered information. At that moment, he didn’t realise what he had already discovered. It would be back in London in 1836 with his friend John Gould where he would reach the conclusion that species adapted to the environment. In 1859, he published his work ‘On the origin of species’, where he explained his discoveries about natural selection: the survival of the fittest. In 1864, he was awarded the Copley Medal. Even though he was criticised by his anti-clerical views, Darwin continued to investigate. He wondered if humans evolved and adapted themselves as other animals. Though controversial, this topic was developed in his book ‘The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex’. From that moment on, the relations between science and religion were quite confrontational. Because of his theories, Darwin was insulted and abused the rest of his life. He died in Kent on April 19, 1882.

 

Thanks to Jorge Juan and his family for sharing this interesting information.