Charles Darwin The Scientist Behind The Time Machine

Life Before Science  Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England on February 12, 1809  His maternal grandfather was the china/pottery entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood.  Charles pursued a career in zoology and geography—graduating from Cambridge in 1831

Darwin and the Beagle  : served as the unpaid geologist, botanist, zoologist, and general man of science aboard the Beagle.  The Beagle traveled to South America, Australia, and surrounding areas

Darwin and the Beagle  He wrote Zoology of the Beagle in 1840  The book discussed his findings  It was the discoveries on his voyage that helped Darwin piece together his new theory of evolution—Natural Selection

Darwin’s New Theory  Darwin’s theory of evolution first appeared in a paper in 1858  At the same time, Alfred Russel Wallace independently developed the theory of natural selection  It is for that reason that Darwin published as soon as he did—to get the credit

The Origin of Species  The Origin of Species was released in 1859  It sold out in one day  The book is often referred to as the “book that shook the world” eapbiofield.wikispaces.com

In the Book  In The Origin of Species, Darwin set forth his theory in which things (in particular, life) evolves by a process he called natural selection  His theory was not new.  The Greek thinkers Aristotle and Lucretius mentioned it before (but by a different name)

Other Works and the End  Other works included: The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, The Descent of Man, and The Expression of the Emotions in Animals and Man Darwin was elected to the Royal Society in 1839 and the French Academy of Sciences in 1878 He died in Down, Kent on April 19, 1882 He was buried in Westminster Abbey

Final Note  Darwin never said humans evolved from apes (monkeys)  He said that man and apes evolved from the same distant ancestor  Recent discoveries are starting to show how accurate Darwin was May 19, 2009: The discovery of a 47-million- year-old fossil, which researchers call the oldest evidence for human evolution, is announced in New York City.