Charles Darwin's Influence On Modern Science

Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change”. Charles Darwin was one of the most influential scientists of the nineteenth century. His book, On the Origin of Species, helped transition the globe into modern science by providing evidence for evolution and natural selection. Darwin’s theories of natural selection changed the way scientists thought forever. Charles Darwin's discoveries helped shape modern science and the way people understood the changing of organisms.

Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in England. Charles came from a wealthy, upper class family who worshipped in the Anglican church (The Voyage). As a young child,

The HMS Beagle had seventy-four people taking the journey (The Voyage). When arriving to Salvador, Brazil, Darwin was allowed to explore wherever he wanted, and he found many organisms he had never seen before (The Voyage). The vessel also took many side trips, such as riding through South America on horseback with gauchos (The Voyage). The journeys of the Beagle were some of the best documented surveys of all time (The Voyage).

The ship sailed from Lima, Peru to make its famous journey to the Galapagos Islands in 1835 (The Voyage). Each island had species of finches unique to their environment (The Voyage). For example, each island had finches with different shaped beaks, depending on the food that was available to them (The Voyage). Darwin also had similar observations with the shells of tortoises, which varied from island to island. These observations lead to his theory of natural selection

His grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, had published a book relating to evolution (Darwin Publishes). Charles Lyell was famous geologist who also studied topics closely related to Darwin’s field of study, and actually helped persuade Darwin to publish his work (Darwin Publishes). A theory Lyell had was species unprepared for changes in the Earth slowly went extinct (The Voyage). He was also influenced by the scientists Jean de Lamarck and Alfred Wallace, who investigated natural selection (Darwin Publishes). Overall, natural selection and evolution weren’t exactly new topics, but they never had evidence to support them.

Darwin stayed in the Galapagos for nearly five years, but his book On the Origin of Species represented nearly twenty years of painstaking research from his journey on the Beagle (Darwin Publishes, Roberts). Although Darwin published three other books, On the Origin of Species remains his most popular and famous work (Origin of Species). His theory on natural selection is taught commonly in biology and science classes today. Overall, On the Origin of Species is a book that is still taught and used today.

Charles Darwin is still considered one of the most influential scientists to this day. His work in On the Origin of Species truly helped shape science into its modern form. His legacy he has left on the science world will never be forgotten. Darwin not only