Where Would We Be Without Him...?

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The theory of natural selection is easily one of the most profound in the history of biology. Who do we have to thank for it? Well, the answer to that question is easy...his name is Charles Darwin. He's one of the most important people in the world of biology. But how did he come up with this theory you ask? It all started in 1831 when he set off on a 5 year long voyage on a ship named the HMS Beagle. He had heard that the captain of the ship was planning to chart poorly known parts of the South American coast. Since he had always been very interested in nature he looked at this as a perfect opportunity to learn more about the world. While the ship's crew was busy surveying the coast, Darwin spent his time on shore collecting thousands of specimens and sketches of new organisms. While on the Galapagos islands, he noticed that organisms on different islands were different but similar at the same time to that of organisms on neighboring islands. Influenced by Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology, he decided to find out more about this. He concluded that Earth constantly changes due to natural forces. He also discovered that the reason organisms from different islands had some of the same traits was because they evolved from a common ancestor. He explained this as a logical explanation called "descent with modification" which later on became known as natural selection. Without the knowledge of what Darwin discovered we probably would not know as much about evolution as we do today
Sources: Class Notes-Chapter13: How Populations Evolve