September 4, 2023

Janessa Angela Alerre

10th Grade

George Washington High School

Charles Darwin, born on February 12, 1809, living in Shrewsbury, England, grew up intrigued by the world around him. During his childhood, he spent his time reading nature books and collecting plants and insects from the fields and woodlands surrounding his home. He happened to come from a family of scientists. For instance, his grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, was a renowned botanist, and his father, Dr. R.W Darwin, was a medical doctor.

Charles Darwin was only sixteen years old when he enrolled in medical school at the University of Edinburgh in 1825. While studying at the school, he witnessed a child's surgery, which left him traumatized and uneasy. His father wished Darwin could continue his legacy as a medical doctor; however, Darwin gave up his studies in the medical field not long after witnessing the procedure. Although he did not complete the course, he then moved on to study theology at Cambridge University. 

At the age of 22, Charles Darwin was recommended by his professor at Cambridge, John Stevens Henslow, to embark on a five-year voyage around the world. Consequently, on December 27, 1831, Charles Darwin and the captain, Robert FitzRoy, set sail on the HMS Beagle. During his voyage, Darwin studied the world around him from plants, insects, fossils, and even birds. 

From September to October of 1835, Charles Darwin and the other passengers of the HMS Beagle spent their time in the Galapagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean. Darwin thoroughly investigated the island, gathered Galapagos species, and brought them back home to England in 1836 to study his findings. Analyzing these plants and animals sparked his curiosity. He began to think about how species form and change as time goes on. Consequently, by experimenting with the use of artificial selection - the intentional breeding of certain species or traits - the pigeons he gathered from the islands were used to help him study how species can change. For instance, he used artificial selection on birds to produce different types of offspring. From this, he gained valuable knowledge to support his theory of evolution by natural selection. Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution has three parts. He concluded that species can change over time depending on their environment, that modern species are descendants of existing species, and that all species share a common descent.  

After years of research, Charles Darwin published a book, On the Origin of Species, on November 24, 1859. It states that the plethora of unique features and adaptations of a species can display where the species originated, and how they adapted over time. His book was both influential and controversial. Some people were skeptical about his findings even though, however, there was DNA evidence to support his theory. Others dismissed Darwin's theory from a religious standpoint: they saw his findings as too radical and heretical. 

On April 19, 1882, Darwin passed away at his family’s home in London and was buried at Westminster Abbey, where he was surrounded by former kings, queens, and historical figures. Charles Darwin’s discovery and findings in the Galapagos islands were the fundamentals of understanding how species adapt and change. Over time, his theory has been modified, yet he is still known as the architect of the Theory of Evolution by natural selection.