The Beagle Voyage
• In December of
1831 the H.M.S. Beagle left Plymouth Harbor on a 5 year „voyage of scientific exploration‟. Darwin joined as the ship‟s naturalist. Sea-sickness and infections apart he was able to
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Galapagos Giant Tortoise
photograph courtesy of Dr. Phillip Dvoskin
“Darwin‟s finches”
photograph courtesy of Dr. Phillip Dvoskin (Galapagos Islands 2004)
Natural Selection

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While there were many unusual animals on the Galapagos Islands, Darwin mainly noticed a group of birds, the famous “Darwin‟s Finches” which were similar but divided into at least 14 species, none of which existed on the mainland. Darwin believed that these birds came to the island seeking food and therefore had a common ancestor, but their descendants differentiated based on adaptation to different natural conditions like availability of food, predators, prey, and climate “eventually evolving into separate species.” He noticed that the 14 different species of finches each had “unique beaks tailored to it‟s specific diets.” For example the Warbler Finch has a sharp, pointy beak to eat insects in trees, but the Large ground finch has a large, stout beak that allows it to eat seeds and nuts which are too big for other species. (courtesy of Newsweek article, Nov. 2005) He also could identify the island origin of giant tortoises based on the patterns on their shells. He concluded that creatures adapted themselves to different ways of life based on the environment and the fittest of them survived and procreated. He then realized that such NATURAL SELECTION explained the process of EVOLUTION.
An
Unpromising
Youth
Darwin was sent by his father to study medicine at
Edinburgh University in Scotland. He was horrified, however, by the sight of surgery without anesthesia, and discontinued his studies after only two years. Darwin was accepted into Christ‟s College at Cambridge in Oct. 1827, but he lacked true interest in theology. Instead, he collected beetles and studied them. His first work in science began with a geologic field trip led by English geologist Adam Sedgwick. Scottish zoologist Robert Grant introduced Darwin to the evolutionary ideas of the French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who first thought of evolution of life from simple forms.
Charles Darwin:
A Man Apart
Rohit Samson Parkland Magnet Middle School Grade 6
Childhood
On February 12, 1809 Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England as a son of a well-to-do physician. He was named Charles after his uncle and Robert after his father. He had four siblings, Erasmus being his older brother. In the spring of 1817, Charles went to a grammar school run by a Mr. Case. He was said to be shy yet mischievous. Darwin‟s mother died on July 15, 1817, when he was only 8. In September 1818, Darwin attended Shrewsbury Grammar School, along with Erasmus, run by the Rev. Samuel Butler. The focus of their study was Greek and Roman grammar and reading. He did not do well in school, and on June 17, 1825 Darwin was removed because of bad grades. Because of this he spent the summer working in his dad‟s medical practice.