Charles Darwin was a British naturalist born in 1809 who revolutionized scientific thought with his theory of evolution by natural selection. As a young man, Darwin loved nature and exploring. He went on a five-year voyage around the world on the HMS Beagle where he visited places like the Galapagos Islands. His observations of wildlife on the Galapagos, including different species of finches and tortoises, helped him develop the idea that species adapt over generations to their environments through natural selection. After returning from his voyage, Darwin spent decades researching and writing before publishing On the Origin of Species in 1859, in which he laid out the theory that all life on Earth evolved over time from common ancestors through a process
3. Darwin's Childhood
Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12,1809.
This is the garden
view of the house
where he was born and
raised.
4. Darwin's Childhood cont.
Darwin hated school and would sneak out
sometimes.
Darwin sometimes conducted his own
experiments in a garden shed.
Darwin loved nature and collected insects and
minerals. He also lovedbird watching and he also
made notes onit.
He also loved hunting birds.
Darwin’s love of nature and exploration made him
jump on the opportunity for going on the Beagle
voyage as a college student.
5. Voyage of The Beagle
The ship, The HMS Beagle set sail on December 27,1831.
HMS stands for Her
Majesty’s Ship.
Its two main jobs
were to map around
the world, and to test
many new
timekeepers.
6. Voyage of the Beagle cont.
Some facts about the Beagle:
It carried 74 men and was only 90 feet long (27 m)
The beagle carried 10 cannons
Darwin shared a cabin with another man and slept
in a hammock
Some of the places the Beagle visited include:
The Brazilian Rainforest
Uruguay
Patagonia
The Andes
The Galápagos Islands
Australia
9. The Galápagos Islands
In the Pacific Ocean, 600 miles off the South American coast.
Darwin stayed on the islands for 5 weeks.
There were many species of animals living on the islands,
including:
Giant tortoise
Marine Iguana
Many different birds, including penguins and finches
Many fish
He noticed that many of the animals were very different from all
the other places he had been.
Living in a different climate and habitat they evolved differently to
survive.
10. The Galápagos Islands
•The islands
were made
from
volcanoes that
came out of
the sea.
•The islands
are between
0.7 – 3 million
years old,
which for land
is very young.
12. Evolution by
Artificial Selection
Evolution means
“Change Over
Time”
Dogs were bred
by people to be
more tame and
for different
characteristics.
This is called
“Artificial
Selection”
13. Evolution by
Natural Selection
The white moth
is on the black
tree truck so it
stands out, so it
would be seen
by the predator.
The Black moth
is camouflaged,
so the predator
will not see it, so
it won’t eat it,
and so it
survives and
can reproduce.
If the same black moth is
on a white tree trunk it will
be the opposite, so the
white moth will be
camouflaged and
reproduce.
14. Darwin’s Finches
Only found on the
Galápagos Islands
Originally the
finches came from
South America
Darwin noticed
them and how
their beaks were
different
He noticed that
their beaks were
specialized for
different habitats
and their needs
15. The Origin of Species
The moths and the
finches both have
adaptations that allow
them to survive in
different habitats.
Over time they pass
those adaptations to
the next generation.
Over time they formed
new species that are
different in their shape
and behavior.
16. How Did This Change
Our View of the World?
Before Darwin most people thought
everything was directly created by God
and nothing changed.
Darwin suggested that over time things
changed and adapted to new territories.
Darwin was basically saying that the
religious books were not saying the truth
about where things came from, so many
people were very angry at Darwin.
It was hard for Darwin to publish his
ideas about this because he didn’t want
people to be angry at him. That’s why
he waited over 20 years before
publishing his books.
A page out of Darwin's
notebook showing his first
idea of how things evolved.
17. Human Evolution
Darwin was saying that
like all other animals,
humans have changed
over time too.
Our closest relatives are
the Chimpanzee and
Bonobo. We all share
the same ancestor.
His idea changed the
way people think about
themselves forever!
18. Conclusion
Darwin was curious and would always go deeper and
do his best to pay attention to every detail.
His purpose was to connect things together because
he knew if he worked hard he could make a
difference.
His voyage on the Beagle was an opportunity of a
lifetime and helped him understand how different
species might be related.
He spent the last parts of his life putting all the pieces
of the puzzle together.
Darwin revolutionized the way we think about life and
the connections between living organisms and
ourselves.
19. Bibliography
“AboutDarwin.com,” Accessed November 24, 2013, www.aboutdarwin.com/index.html
“Charles Darwin,” Accessed November 24, 2013,
www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/darwin_charles.shtml
“Charles Darwin,” Accessed November 25, 2013,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin
Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or the
Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. 6th edition. London: Murray,
1872.
“Galapagos Islands,” Accessed November 2013,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galapagos_Islands
King, David. Charles Darwin, a photographic story of a life. New York: DK Publishing,
2007.
Ventura, Piero. Darwin, nature reinterpreted. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995.