In the history of Science, the great biologist Charles Darwin has carved a niche for himself. The year 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of his birth; and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his magnum opus ‘The Origin of Species’. Quite deservingly many celebrations have been planned in Britain beginning on his birthday February, 12th. To mark the event, the National History Museum opens a new artwork on its ceiling. The Darwin exhibition organized by the National History Museum will continue till April. The British Council organizes several programs all over the world to commemorate the event and honor the life and work of Charles Darwin. A new documentary ‘Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life’ of David Attenborough was broadcast on February 1, by the BBC. The BBC has also planned for many shows on the life of Charles Darwin.
Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12, 1809. He was a son of a famous physician. His grandfather was Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802), a well known poet-physician. In the field of Natural Science, the influence of Charles Darwin has been very significant. He is best known for the theory of organic evolution by natural selection.
Charles Darwin joined the University of Edinburgh at the age of 16, with the aim of becoming a physician. In those days surgical procedures were performed without anesthesia and it was too much to bear for Charles Darwin. So after three years, he joined the Christ’s College at Cambridge to study Theology. He had no religious bent of mind either. In Cambridge he came under the influence of Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873) who introduced Geology to him. More than this, he gained the friendship of a professor in Botany, John Stevens Henslow (1796-1861) there. Darwin became greatly interested in Natural Science. After graduation in 1831, he joined as an unpaid naturalist and undertook a five-year voyage on a government survey ship, the H.M.S Beagle. As a member of this crew he visited South America and the South pacific Islands.
Darwin took to geological and biological study seriously, collected a lot of specimens and prepared detailed records. During this voyage Darwin came across convincing evidence of the evolutionary changes of the animals and plants.
It was in Galapagos Islands, he gathered evidence of 14 different types of finch birds, each type having remarkably adapted to the area where they lived. Those which had to feed on insects had developed sharper beaks to stab the insects; those which fed on seeds had strong, parrot-like bills to break the shells. He noticed giant tortoises with several different and distinctive features that would make their life possible in the particular island in which they lived. Darwin developed a theory that the species are not rigid and fixed about their inherited form; but they gradually change in form and features to increase their chances of survival. A common ancestor may mean some similarities but the species do change in features.
Darwin published his magnum opus The Origin of Species by Means of in 1859. He called his evolutionary theory the process of . He asserted that the living organisms that adapt to their environment fast were more likely to survive and pass their characteristics on to their offspring. He explained that the white fur of the polar bear happily merges with the snowy environment; the bears living in the forest have black or brown fur to suit their environment; such different features are genetic adaptations to different environments.
The statements of Darwin gained greater acceptance only after Gregor Mendel found in 1866 that the gene was the basic unit of heredity. Gregor Mendel stated that the genes were the ‘molecular blueprints’ passed on to succeeding generations.
Though Darwin concentrated on animals and plants in the beginning, he developed specific findings on the ascent or of humankind also later on. His book The Descent of Man (1871) received a mixed response. It was too much for many people to agree that human beings emerged out of non-human life forms. Darwin’s ideas meant that the idea of miraculous creation of man was false. So Darwin’s findings were branded as speculation of an atheist.
Though his evolutionary theory has undergone many modifications, the modern biology remains greatly indebted to the services of Charles Darwin.
Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12, 1809. He was a son of a famous physician. His grandfather was Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802), a well known poet-physician. In the field of Natural Science, the influence of Charles Darwin has been very significant. He is best known for the theory of organic evolution by natural selection.
Charles Darwin joined the University of Edinburgh at the age of 16, with the aim of becoming a physician. In those days surgical procedures were performed without anesthesia and it was too much to bear for Charles Darwin. So after three years, he joined the Christ’s College at Cambridge to study Theology. He had no religious bent of mind either. In Cambridge he came under the influence of Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873) who introduced Geology to him. More than this, he gained the friendship of a professor in Botany, John Stevens Henslow (1796-1861) there. Darwin became greatly interested in Natural Science. After graduation in 1831, he joined as an unpaid naturalist and undertook a five-year voyage on a government survey ship, the H.M.S Beagle. As a member of this crew he visited South America and the South pacific Islands.
Darwin took to geological and biological study seriously, collected a lot of specimens and prepared detailed records. During this voyage Darwin came across convincing evidence of the evolutionary changes of the animals and plants.
It was in Galapagos Islands, he gathered evidence of 14 different types of finch birds, each type having remarkably adapted to the area where they lived. Those which had to feed on insects had developed sharper beaks to stab the insects; those which fed on seeds had strong, parrot-like bills to break the shells. He noticed giant tortoises with several different and distinctive features that would make their life possible in the particular island in which they lived. Darwin developed a theory that the species are not rigid and fixed about their inherited form; but they gradually change in form and features to increase their chances of survival. A common ancestor may mean some similarities but the species do change in features.
Darwin published his magnum opus The Origin of Species by Means of in 1859. He called his evolutionary theory the process of . He asserted that the living organisms that adapt to their environment fast were more likely to survive and pass their characteristics on to their offspring. He explained that the white fur of the polar bear happily merges with the snowy environment; the bears living in the forest have black or brown fur to suit their environment; such different features are genetic adaptations to different environments.
The statements of Darwin gained greater acceptance only after Gregor Mendel found in 1866 that the gene was the basic unit of heredity. Gregor Mendel stated that the genes were the ‘molecular blueprints’ passed on to succeeding generations.
Though Darwin concentrated on animals and plants in the beginning, he developed specific findings on the ascent or of humankind also later on. His book The Descent of Man (1871) received a mixed response. It was too much for many people to agree that human beings emerged out of non-human life forms. Darwin’s ideas meant that the idea of miraculous creation of man was false. So Darwin’s findings were branded as speculation of an atheist.
Though his evolutionary theory has undergone many modifications, the modern biology remains greatly indebted to the services of Charles Darwin.
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