5.01 Evolution By: Ian Santiago

Herbert Spencer Source: www.iep.utm.edu/spencer/ Born: April 27, 1820. Died: December 8, 1903. Lived in: Brighton, England. Occupation: Biologist and Philosopher. Herbert Spencer once created his own theory of evolution and named it “The Developmental Hypothesis”. This preceded Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species by 7 years. This theory supported the original concept of evolution as the progressive development of the physical world, the human mind, biological organisms, human culture and societies. Sadly, the theory was never taken into much consideration at the time due to the lack of effectiveness in theoretical system for natural selection. Herbert is mostly known for the expression “survival of the fittest”, which he had done in Principles of Biology, after he had read Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. Source: www.iep.utm.edu/spencer/

Thomas Huxley Born: May 4, 1825 Died: June 29, 1895 Lived in: London, England Occupation: Biologist & Educator The scientist Thomas Huxley was a very strong supporter of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. This scientist was given the nickname “Darwin’s Bulldog” since he often defended the theory. In 1859, Darwin’s “The Origin of Species” was published. Due to the fact that it challenged the Christian belief that God created life on Earth, it was extremely controversial. Huxley’s most impactful contribution to the theory, was his essays on natural selection, which helped the theory of evolution to gain more supporters. In 1863, Huxley published a book and named it “Evidence as to Man’s Place in Nature”, and this book focused mostly on man’s ancestry. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/huxley_thomas_henry.shtml

Ronald Fisher Born: February 17, 1890 Died: July 29, 1962 Lived in: England & Australia Occupation: biologist, statistician, eugenicist , and geneticist Ronald Fisher’s greatest impact can be found in updates of the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis. Fisher’s adds to Darwin’s theory of Evolution. Ronald Fisher, including Sewall Wright, J.B.S. Haldane, helped found the field of Genetic study. Fisher introduced the idea of repeated an experiment to prove if the data collected is correct. All these creations contributed to the foundation of modern science. Source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/208658/Sir-Ronald-Aylmer-Fisher