Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) - English naturalist, creator of Darwinism, foreign corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1867). In his main work, “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection” (1859), summarizing the results of his own observations (voyage on the Beagle, 1831-36) and the achievements of contemporary biology and selection practice, he revealed the main factors in the evolution of the organic world. In his work “Changes in Domestic Animals and Cultivated Plants” (vols. 1-2, 1868), Charles Darwin presented additional factual material to the main work. In the book. “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection” (1871) substantiated the hypothesis of the origin of man from an ape-like ancestor. Works on geology, botany and zoology.
There is nothing more unbearable than idleness.
Darwin Charles
Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, Shrewsbury, England. Died April 19, 1882, Down, near London; buried in Westminster Abbey
The largest and richest monasteries, which owned significant lands, often played an important religious, political and economic role in feudal Western Europe (the abbeys of Cluny, Saint-Denis, Port-Royal, St. Gallen, Fulda, Montecassino, etc.).
During the Reformation and especially during the bourgeois revolutions, the former importance of the abbey in the social life of European countries was undermined. Many abbots were liquidated, but some continue to exist today. Zodiac sign - Aquarius.
Never make friends with a person you cannot respect.
Darwin Charles
Darwin's childhood, education and family
Charles was the son of Robert Darwin, who practiced successfully as a doctor in Shrewsbury. Mother - Suzanne Wedgwood - came from a wealthy family of owners of the famous porcelain factory. Darwin's family was connected for several generations with the Wedgwood family. Darwin himself married his cousin Emma Wedgwood. Darwin's grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was a famous doctor, naturalist, and poet. In general, representatives of the Darwin family are characterized by high intellectual qualities and broad cultural interests.
After the sudden death of his mother in 1817, Charles Darwin was raised by his older sister Caroline. That same year, Charles began attending a school for incoming students in Shrewsbury. He did not shine with success, but even then he developed a taste for natural history and for collecting collections.
In 1818, Charles Darwin entered Shrewsbury at a “big school” with a boarding school, which for him was “just an empty place.” Darwin studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh from 1825 to 1827, and theology at Cambridge from 1827 to 1831. In 1831-36, on the recommendation of the botanist J. Henslow and the Wedgwood family, Darwin got a job as a naturalist on the Beagle and traveled around the world. From the trip he returned as a man of science.
Talk of fame, honor, pleasure and wealth is dirty compared to love.
Darwin Charles
In 1839, Charles Darwin married and the young family settled in London. Since 1842, the family lived permanently in Down, a beautiful place convenient for concentrated work and relaxation. Darwin and his wife had 10 children, three of whom died in childhood.
Geology of Darwin
On December 27, 1831, the Beagle set sail. Darwin managed to take with him the just published 1st volume of “Principles of Geology” by Charles Lyell. This volume had a great influence on the formation of the scientific views of the young researcher. Before the publication of Lyell's book, catastrophe theory dominated geology. Lyell showed that the geological forces that operated in the past continue to operate today. Darwin fruitfully applied Lyell's teachings to an object that crossed the Beagle's path. This was the island of Sant Iago. His study provided material for Darwin's first major generalization about the nature of oceanic islands. Darwin showed that both continental and island volcanoes are associated with large faults in the earth's crust, with cracks formed during the uplift of mountain ranges and continents.
A person who dares to waste an hour of time has not yet realized the value of life.
Darwin Charles
Darwin's second generalization relates to the problem of secular movements of the earth's crust. Over geological periods of enormous duration, the continent of South America experienced repeated uplifts and subsidences, which alternated with periods of relative peace. Charles Darwin painted with broad strokes the origin of the Patagonian Plain and the gradual weathering (denudation) of the Cordillera.
Darwin's most original geological work was his theory of the origin of atolls, or ringed coral islands. Darwin's biogenic theory is based on the idea that a coastal reef is built by corals on the coast of a continent or island experiencing subsidence. A layer of corals that has sunk to a depth of more than 50 meters dies out and only their limestone structures remain.
The ability to blush is the most characteristic and most human of all human properties.
Darwin Charles
Paleontological and zoological research
Charles Darwin's research in these areas has received wide recognition, regardless of the theory of evolution he created. In the Quaternary deposits of the pampas of South America, Darwin discovered a large group of extinct giant edentates. These monstrous animals, closely related to pygmy armadillos and sloths, were described in detail by the anatomist and paleontologist R. Owen. He also found the fossil remains of a huge ungulate animal - Toxodon, whose teeth resembled the teeth of rodents, a giant camel-shaped animal, - Macrauchenia, close in body structure to the llama and guanaco, a tooth of an extinct horse and many other forms. Darwin discovered a small ostrich, the so-called "Darwin's rhea", living in southern Patagonia. He observed invaders from North and Central America (spectacled bear, maned wolf, pampas deer, hamster-like rodents, etc.). These materials could not help but lead Darwin to believe that the continent of South America had been isolated from North America for a long time and that this isolation had a significant impact on the course of the evolutionary process in various representatives of the South American fauna.
Sympathy for someone else's joy is a much rarer gift than sympathy for someone else's suffering.
Darwin Charles
In the Galapagos Islands, Charles Darwin was able to observe the astonishing divergence of both the giant land tortoises and the finches that he so carefully studied and later named Darwin's finches. In 1846, Darwin completed his last monograph on geology and planned to take a closer look at questions of evolution. He wanted to devote several months to studying barnacles. But this work lasted until 1854. He created a major work on the taxonomy of modern and extinct forms of this group of animals.
Darwin's evolutionary studies
After his journey, Charles Darwin began to keep systematic records of evolution. From 1837 to 1839, he created a series of notebooks in which he sketched out thoughts about evolution in a brief and fragmentary manner. In 1842 and 1844 in two steps he briefly outlined a sketch and essay on the origin of species. These works already contain many of the ideas that he later published in 1859.
In my opinion, lectures do not have any advantages over reading, but are in many ways inferior to it.
Darwin Charles
In 1854-1855 Charles Darwin begins work on an evolutionary essay, collecting materials on the variability, heredity and evolution of wild species of animals and plants, as well as data on methods of selection of domestic animals and cultivated plants, comparing the results of artificial and natural selection. He began to write a work, the volume of which he estimated at 3-4 volumes. By the summer of 1858, he had written ten chapters of this work. This work was never completed and was first published in the UK in 1975. A stop in work was caused by the receipt of A. Wallace's manuscript, in which, independently of Darwin, the foundations of the theory of natural selection were outlined. Darwin began writing a short extract and, with uncharacteristic haste, completed the work in 8 months. On November 24, 1859, “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life” was published.
Darwin's historical merit lies in the fact that he, together with Wallace, revealed the driving factor of evolution - natural selection - and thereby revealed the reasons for the occurrence of biological evolution.
As a child, I often composed deliberate nonsense just to arouse the surprise of others.
Darwin Charles
Passions were raging all over the world, there was a struggle for Darwin, for Darwinism, on the one hand, against Darwinism, on the other. The audiences were buzzing, scientists and publicists were worried, some condemned Darwin, others admired him, and Charles Darwin continued to work in his Down.
Charles Darwin wrote three more books on evolution. In 1868, a large work on the theory of artificial selection, “Change in Domestic Animals and Cultivated Plants,” was published. In this book, not without the influence of criticism, Darwin wondered how favorable deviations in offspring could be recorded, and put forward the “temporary hypothesis of pangenesis.” The hypothesis assumed the transfer, with the help of hypothetical particles - “gemmules”, of acquired properties from body organs to germ cells and was a tribute to Lamarckism. Darwin and his contemporaries did not know that in 1865 the Austro-Czech naturalist Abbot Gregor Mendel discovered the laws of heredity. The pangenesis hypothesis no longer needed to be created widely.
In 1871, when Darwinism had already been accepted as a natural science concept, Charles Darwin’s book “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection” was published, which showed not only the undoubted similarity, but also the kinship of humans and primates. Darwin argued that the ancestor of man could be found, according to the modern classification, among forms that might even be lower than the great apes. Humans and apes undergo similar psychological and physiological processes in courtship, reproduction, fertility, and caring for offspring. The Russian translation of this book appeared in the same year. The following year, Darwin’s book “The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals” is published, in which, based on a study of the facial muscles and means of expressing emotions in humans and animals, their relationship is proven with another example.
The more we understand the unchanging laws of nature, the more incredible miracles become for us.
Darwin Charles
Botany and plant physiology
All of Darwin's botanical and physiological studies were aimed at finding evidence of the natural origin of adaptations under the influence of natural selection. He discovered that trees tend to have flowers of the same sex, and the occurrence of cross-pollination leads to an increase in hybrid vigor (heterosis). The role of cross-pollination and the evolution of species (plant - insect) was studied in detail by him in orchids.
Charles Darwin developed the concept of climbing ability as an adaptation that allows a plant to reach light very economically. This adaptation was acquired by climbing plants during the struggle for existence. Darwin traced the gradations (transitions) between various adaptations in plants to a climbing lifestyle and established that the most advanced group among climbing plants are tendril-bearing vines.
Finally, in 1881, a year before his death, Charles Darwin published a large work on the role of earthworms in soil formation.
Only the frail and weak die. Healthy and strong always emerges victorious in the struggle for existence.
Darwin Charles
Darwin's encyclopedicism, his exceptional authority as a natural scientist, the correctness and diplomacy he showed in discussions, attention to the points of view of opponents and critics, friendly attitude towards students and followers, respect for senior colleagues and other “inimitably high virtues” (Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov ) greatly contributed to the rapid spread of Darwin's teachings throughout the world. (Ya. M. Gall)
More about Charles Darwin:
At the 9th year of his life, Charles Darwin entered an elementary school, and a year later he moved to Dr. Beutler’s gymnasium and showed very mediocre success. Here they relied mainly on classical languages, literature, etc. subjects for which Charles had neither the desire nor the ability. But very early on, his love and interest in nature awakened, which was first expressed by collecting plants, minerals, shells, insects, bird nests and eggs, fishing and hunting; however, the boy also collected seals, envelopes, autographs, coins, etc. These activities, due to his mediocre school success, aroused reproaches from respectable people and from his father.
The highest possible stage of moral culture is when we understand that we are able to control our thoughts.
Darwin Charles
In 1825, Charles Darwin entered the University of Edinburgh, where he remained for two years, preparing for a medical career, but without success. Then he decided to become a priest, for which he entered Cambridge; but here he completed the course without any distinction in the number of “oi polloi” (many). Personal acquaintance with naturalists, visits to learned societies and natural history excursions were of much more importance to him than book learning.
At the University of Edinburgh, Darwin met the geologist Ensworth and zoologists Coldstrom and Grant, whom he often accompanied to the seashore, where they collected marine animals. The first (unpublished) work of Charles Darwin, containing some of his observations, dates back to this time. In Cambridge, he met Henslow, a botanist who had extensive knowledge in other branches of natural science, who organized excursions in which Darwin himself took part. By the end of his stay in Cambridge, Charles Darwin was already a naturalist-collector, but did not ask himself any specific questions.
Henslow recommended Darwin as a collector to Captain Fitzroy, who was undertaking a circumnavigation of the world on behalf of the government on the ship Beagle. Charles spent five years traveling (1831 - 1836) and became acquainted with nature in all its endless diversity.
The suggestions of conscience in connection with repentance and a sense of duty are the most important difference between man and animal.
Darwin Charles
The collections collected by Charles Darwin were processed by R. Owen (fossil mammals), Waterhouse (modern mammals), Gould (birds), Bell (reptiles and amphibians) and Jennins (insects); this general work was published under the title “Zoology of the Beagle's Voyage.” Darwin himself took on the geological part of the journey. The results of his research were: “On the structure and distribution of coral reefs” (1842), “Geological observations of volcanic islands” (1844) and “Geological studies in South America” (1846).
Darwin explained the origin of various forms of coral reefs by the gradual lowering of the seabed; his extremely simple and ingenious theory quickly established itself in science, but recently aroused objections from Murray and others. The geological studies of Charles Darwin, regardless of their actual value, provided a number of important explanations in favor of the new, for that time, theory of uniformitarianism , laid by Lyell as the basis of geology. In addition to these special works, he published a diary of his journey (“A Voyage Around the World on the Beagle Ship,” 2 vols., translation edited by Andrei Beketov) - a book remarkable for its richness of observations and simplicity of presentation. These works brought Darwin fame among scientists. From then on, he devoted his energies entirely and exclusively to science.
Science consists in such a grouping of facts that allows one to derive general laws or conclusions based on them.
Darwin Charles
Upon returning to England, Charles Darwin settled in London (where he married Emma Wedgwood in 1839), but poor health forced him to flee the city. In 1842, he moved to the Dawn estate, where he lived almost continuously until his death. The geological works mentioned above were followed by a number of special monographs devoted to the systematic treatment of the subclass of barnacles (“Monogr. of Cyrrhipedia”, 2 vols., 1851 - 54; “M. of fossil Lepadidae”, 1851; “M. of Balanidae”. 1854) , precious for the taxonomy of this group of animals.
Already during his journey, Charles Darwin focused his attention on such phenomena that cast a bright light on the process of development of the organic world. Thus, he was interested in the animal population of oceanic islands (the Galopagos Islands, which he studied especially carefully in this regard, became a classic land in the eyes of naturalists), and the geological continuity of species. His research in South America was especially important, thanks to which the relationship between the living South American armadillos, slow-moving animals, etc. and fossil representatives of these groups on the same continent was clearly revealed. But this was so far only an unconscious aspiration of a broad and inquisitive mind, involuntarily rushing towards the most difficult and mysterious problems. Only upon returning from a trip in 1837 did he pose the question of the origin of species and decided to begin developing it. In 1839, after reading Malthus’s book, he quite clearly formulated the idea of natural selection.
There is no evidence that man was originally endowed with the ennobling belief in the existence of an omnipotent God.
Darwin Charles
In 1842, Charles Darwin wrote the first draft of his theory; in 1844 - a more detailed essay, which he read to his friend J. Hooker. Then 12 years passed in collecting and processing the material, and only in 1856 Darwin, on the advice of Lyell, began to compile an “extract” from his work for publication. God knows when this “extract” (designed for 3 - 4 tons) would have seen the light if in 1858 A. R. Wallas, who was engaged in natural history research in the Malay Archipelago, had not sent Darwin an article containing a brief and in a cursory but distinct form, the same idea of natural selection, with a request to publish it in the journal of the Linnean Society.
Charles Darwin consulted with friends who convinced him to publish a brief extract from his work along with Wallas’s article. So he did, and then began to compile a more detailed essay, which was published the following year, 1859, under the title: “Origin of species by means of natural selection” (“Origin of species by means of natural selection”, translated by Rachinsky , 2nd ed., 1865).
There is nothing more remarkable than the spread of religious unbelief, or rationalism, during the second half of my life.
Darwin Charles
Charles Darwin's theory (its essence and significance are set out in Art. Vid., VI, 24) was developed so carefully, was based on such a wealth of facts, explained so many mysterious phenomena, and finally indicated so many new paths for research that it established itself in science with remarkable speed, despite fierce attacks from opponents of transformism. It met with the most hostile attitude in France, where it triumphed only towards the end of the 70s.
Touching to the quick the current ideas about man, his origin, etc., she naturally aroused talk in general literature, in the daily press, among theologians and others. The terms “Darwinist”, “Darwinism”, “struggle for existence” have become current; Darwin's name gained such popularity that no other scientist had ever achieved - in general, his theory made an impression unprecedented in the history of science. The culprit of this whole movement led a calm, monotonous and secluded life on his estate. The slightest fatigue, excitement, or lively conversation were extremely detrimental to his poor health. It can be said that during the 40 years of his life in Doane there was not a single day when Charles Darwin felt completely healthy. Only extreme regularity, caution and moderation in habits allowed him to live to a ripe old age. Constant illness did not allow him to work much; but extreme accuracy and methodicality in his studies, and especially the persistence with which he conducted his research for decades (for example, one of his experiments on earthworms lasted 29 years), compensated for the damage caused by the disease.
If you remember how ferociously the representatives of the church attacked me, it seems funny that I myself once had the intention of becoming a priest.
Darwin Charles
The hermit life of Charles Darwin was occasionally interrupted by trips to London, to visit relatives, to the seashore, etc., for rest and health. Friends often gathered with him - Hooker, Lyell, Forbes, etc., and later, with the triumph of “Darwinism,” Dawn began to attract visitors from the most distant countries. The charming impression that Darwin made on the guests with his friendliness and simplicity, childish gentleness, deep sincerity and modesty contributed no less to his popularity as a person than “The Origin of Species” and other books to his fame as a scientist. However, his moral personality was also reflected in his books: extreme condescension towards others and inexorable severity towards himself constitute their characteristic feature. He himself looked for weaknesses in his theories, and all significant objections to natural selection were foreseen and analyzed in advance. This scientific rigor and honesty of Darwin contributed greatly to the rapid success of his teaching.
Almost all of Charles Darwin's studies that appeared after The Origin of Species represent a further development of his theory as applied to one or another issue of biology. Let us list them by subject of research: the books “Adaptations of Orchids to Fertilization by Insects” (1862), “The Effect of Self-Pollination and Cross-Pollination in the Plant Kingdom” (1876) and “Different Forms of Flowers in Plants of the Same Species” (1877) clarified the biological the meaning of the flower and the mutual relationships between insects and plants. In the first of these works, he showed that the bizarre and varied forms of flowers in orchids represent the most amazing adaptations for fertilization with the help of insects that transfer the pollen of one flower on the stigma of another; in the second, he experimentally proved the harm of constant self-fertilization in many plants and the need for cross-pollination, which in most plants occurs thanks to insects attracted by flowers; in the third, he pointed out the existence of flowers in many plants that have a double or even triple shape, representing a very convenient adaptation for cross-pollination with the help of insects.
Usually, it is not those who know a lot, but those who know little, who most confidently declare that this or that problem will never be solved by science.
Darwin Charles
These works of Charles Darwin explained a whole world of phenomena that had remained incomprehensible until then. What is a flower, why these bright, colorful petals, bizarre shapes, aroma, nectaries, etc.? - There was nothing to answer to all these questions. Now all this was explained in terms of the benefits of cross-pollination with the help of insects. Darwin's studies of cross-fertilization generated a vast literature. Hildenbrand, Hermann Muller, Axel, Delpino, Lebbock, Fr. Müller and many other researchers developed in great detail this important chapter of biology.
D'Arcy Thomson in 1883 counted 714 works devoted to the fertilization of plants and caused by the works of Darwin. Two voluminous books: “The Movements and Lifestyle of Climbing Plants” (1876) and “The Ability of Plants to Move” (1880) are devoted to the movements of climbing and climbing plants and devices that they have for entwining other people's stems, for attaching to walls, etc. Charles Darwin reduces the various forms of these movements to the so-called “circumnutation,” i.e., the circular movement of the top of growing organs. Circumnutation, invisible to the eye, is a general property of plants, and such phenomena that are striking in their expediency, such as the movement of the tops of climbing plants, the folding of mimosa leaves, etc., are only more developed forms of this elementary movement, associated with it by gradual transitions.
Ignorance always has more certainty than knowledge, and only the ignorant can confidently say that science will never be able to solve this or that problem.
Darwin Charles
Likewise, Charles Darwin managed to trace the transitions between various devices such as tendrils, trailers, hooks that help the plant hold on to foreign objects - and reduce them to the simplest form, from which they were developed through natural selection, which accumulated useful changes. Further, the field of botany includes “Insectivorous Plants” (1875). The fact of the existence of insectivores, or rather carnivores (since some of them also catch and eat small crustaceans, fish, etc.) was precisely established by Darwin, and the significance of a number of adaptations was explained, such as the collapsing leaves of the flycatcher, the vesicles of Utricularia, and the glandular leaves of the sundew. The listed works brought Darwin one of the first places among the botanists of our century. He illuminated entire areas of phenomena that seemed dark and incomprehensible; discovered a lot of new and amazing facts.
In 1868, Charles Darwin published a huge work, “The variations of animals and plants under domestication,” translated by Vladimir Kovalevsky, 2 vols. The first volume presents a collection of data on artificial selection, on the origin of domestic animals and plants; the second sets out general questions arising from these data: the laws of heredity, the phenomena of atavism, the influence of crossing within close limits, etc., and the least successful of Darwin's hypotheses - the hypothesis of pangenesis, with the help of which he thought to explain heredity.
My main pleasure and only occupation throughout my life has been scientific work, and the excitement caused by it allows me to forget for a while or completely eliminate my constant bad health.
Darwin Charles
In 1871, Charles Darwin published the book “The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex” (translation by Sechenov, 1871). The first part of this book deals with the question of the origin of man from a lower, ape-like form; in the second - the theory of “sexual selection”, according to which features characteristic only of males - for example, the spurs of a rooster, the mane of a lion, the bright feathers and musical abilities of birds, etc. - arose due to struggle or rivalry between males, since the strongest or the most beautiful ones have a better chance of capturing females and leaving offspring.
The book “On the Expression of Sensations in Man and Animals” (1872) is an application of the theory of natural selection to such a seemingly capricious phenomenon as the play of physiognomy under the influence of various sensations. Some expressions depend on known physiological processes and anatomical features of our body; others are adaptations inherited from distant ancestors; still others are remnants of habits observed in higher animals, preserved in a half-erased, rudimentary state, just as some rudimentary organs have been preserved. In his last book, published not long before Darwin’s death, “The Formation of Vegetable Soil Thanks to Worms” (1881, Russian translation by Menzbier), he showed through experiments, measurements and calculations what enormous work earthworms do on our soils and what useful significance they have they are for the plant world.
If I couldn't survive my life, I would make it a rule for myself to read a certain amount of poetry and listen to music at least once a week. By such an exercise I would be able to maintain the activity of those parts of the brain that were now atrophied.
Darwin Charles
As Charles Darwin's theory spread and its results were revealed in countless works, in the rapid transformation of all branches of biology, awards and honors came to him from scientific societies and institutions. Darwin received (1864) the Copley gold medal from the Royal Society of London, the Prussian order “Pour le merite” (1867), established by Frederick William IV to reward scientific and literary merits, an honorary doctorate from the Bonn, Breslau, Leiden, Cambridge (1877) universities; was elected a member of the St. Petersburg (1867), Berlin (1878), Paris (1878) academies (the latter awarded Darwin this distinction in respect of his actual merits, and not “problematic hypotheses”), an honorary member of various scientific societies.
Meanwhile, his strength weakened. Charles Darwin was not afraid of death, but of senile decrepitude, loss of intelligence and ability to work. Fortunately, he did not have to live to such a state. At the end of 1881, he felt very bad; soon he could no longer leave the house, but he continued to study science and, as early as April 17, 1882, was following some kind of experiment. On April 19, Charles Darwin died at the age of 74. His body was transferred to Westminster Abbey and buried next to Newton's tomb.
In human society, some of the worst predispositions which suddenly, without any apparent cause, appear in the composition of family members, perhaps represent a return to a primitive state from which we are not many generations removed.
Darwin Charles
From the scientists of the 19th century. hardly anyone had such a profound and universal influence as Charles Darwin. Having explained the process of development of the organic world with the help of the theory of natural selection, he thereby brought triumph to the idea of evolutionism; expressed a long time ago, but did not find a place in science. Whether the factors indicated by Darwin (the struggle for existence, variability and heredity) are sufficient to explain all developmental phenomena, or whether further research will reveal new ones that have not yet been clarified, the future will show, but future biology will remain evolutionary biology. And other branches of knowledge, social sciences, anthropology, psychology, ethics, etc., have been and are being transformed in the sense of evolutionism, so that Charles Darwin’s book marks a new era not only in biology, but in general in the history of human thought.
At the age of eight, Charles discovered a love and interest in nature. He collected plants, minerals, shells, insects, even seals, autographs, coins and the like; he became addicted to fishing early on and spent hours with a fishing rod, but especially loved hunting.
In 1825, convinced that Charles’s schoolwork would not be of much use, his father took him out of the gymnasium and sent him to the University of Edinburgh to prepare for a medical career. The lectures seemed unbearably boring to him. Darwin remained in Edinburgh for two years. Finally, making sure that his son had no inclination towards medicine, his father suggested that he choose a spiritual career. Darwin thought and thought and agreed: in 1828 he entered the theological faculty of Cambridge University, intending to take the priesthood.
His activities here retained the same character: very mediocre success in school subjects and diligent collection of insects, birds, minerals, as well as hunting, fishing, excursions, and observations of animal life.
In 1831, Charles Darwin left the university among the “many,” the name given to students who completed the course satisfactorily, but without any special distinction.
Botany professor John Henslow helped Darwin make his final choice. He noticed Darwin's abilities and offered him a position as a naturalist on an expedition to South America. Before sailing, Darwin read the works of geologist Charles Lyell. He took the newly published book with him on his trip. This was one of the few books that had a certain significance in his development. Lyell, the greatest thinker of the time, was close in spirit to Darwin.
The expedition set sail in 1831 on the Beagle and lasted five years. During this time, the researchers visited Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and the Galapagos Islands - ten rocky islands off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, each of which has its own fauna. Charles Darwin, on a subconscious level, identified those facts and phenomena that were in close connection with the greatest problems of natural science. The question of the origin of the organic world had not yet arisen before him in a clear form, and yet he was already drawing attention to those phenomena that contained the key to solving this question.
If I came across a new observation or thought that contradicted my general conclusions, I made a short note about them without delay, because, as I have learned from experience, such facts or thoughts usually slip from memory much more quickly than favorable ones. .
Darwin Charles
So, from the very beginning of his journey, Charles Darwin became interested in the question of methods of relocation of plants and animals. The fauna of the oceanic islands and the settlement of new lands occupied him throughout his entire journey, and the Galapagos Islands, especially carefully explored by him in this regard, became a classic land in the eyes of naturalists. Of great interest in his observations were transitional forms, which were precisely the subject of annoyance and neglect on the part of taxonomists looking for “good”, that is, clearly defined species. Darwin remarks about one of these transitional families:
“It is one of those which, in contact with other families, at present only confuse the systematic naturalist, but in the end may contribute to the knowledge of the great plan according to which organized beings were created.”
In the pampas of South America, Charles Darwin came across another category of facts that formed the basis of evolutionary theory - the geological succession of species. He managed to find many fossil remains, and the relationship of this extinct fauna with the modern inhabitants of America (for example, giant megatheriums with sloths, fossil armadillos with living ones) immediately caught his eye.
On this expedition, Charles Darwin collected a huge collection of rocks and fossils, compiled herbariums and a collection of stuffed animals. He kept a detailed diary of the expedition and subsequently used many materials and observations made during the expedition.
On October 2, 1836, Darwin returned from his trip. At this time he was 27 years old. The question of a career was resolved by itself, without much thought. It’s not that Darwin believed in his ability to “advance science,” but there was no need to talk about it: he had huge materials, rich collections on his hands, he already had plans for future research, all that was left was, without further ado, to get to work. Darwin did just that. He devoted the next twenty years to processing the collected materials.
The travel diary he published was a great success. The artless simplicity of presentation is its main advantage. Charles Darwin cannot be called a brilliant stylist, but his love of nature, subtle observation, diversity and breadth of interests of the author make up for the lack of beauty of the presentation.
He lived in Cambridge for several months, and in 1837 he moved to London, where he spent five years, moving mainly among scientists. Accustomed to living among free nature, he was burdened by city life. Of the scientists, Charles Darwin became especially close friends with Lyell and Hooker. Their friendship lasted until Darwin's death. Hooker helped him a lot with his enormous knowledge, finding, in turn, a source of further research in his ideas.
In general, these years were the most active period in Darwin's life. He was often in society, worked a lot, read, made communications in learned societies, and for three years was honorary secretary of the Geological Society.
In 1839 he married his cousin, Miss Emma Wedgwood. Meanwhile, his health became weaker and weaker. In 1841 he wrote to Lyell: “I was sad to find that the world belonged to the powerful and that I would be able to do nothing more than follow the progress of others in the field of science.” Fortunately, these sad premonitions did not come true, but the rest of his life was spent in a continuous struggle with the disease. The noisy city life became unbearable for him, and in 1842 he moved to the Dawn estate, located near London, which he bought for this purpose.
Having settled in Doune, Charles Darwin spent forty years of a calm, monotonous and active life there. He got up very early, went for a short walk, then had breakfast at about eight o'clock and sat down to work until nine or half past nine. This was his best working time. At half past nine he began reading letters, of which he received a lot, and from half past ten to twelve or half past twelve he studied again. After that, he considered his working day over and, if the classes went well, he said with pleasure: “I did a good job today.” Then he went for a walk in any weather, accompanied by his beloved dog, Polly the pinscher. He loved dogs very much, they responded to him in kind. The hermit's life in Doune was diversified from time to time with trips to relatives, to London, and to the seashore.
Charles Darwin was quite happy in his family life. “In his relationship with my mother,” said the scientist’s son Francis Darwin, “his sympathetic, sensitive nature was most clearly reflected. In her presence he felt happy; thanks to her, his life, which otherwise would have been overshadowed by difficult impressions, had the character of calm and clear contentment.”
On the Expression of Sensation shows how carefully Darwin observed his children. He was interested in the smallest details of their lives and hobbies, played with them, told and read to them, taught them to collect and identify insects, but at the same time gave them complete freedom and treated them in a friendly manner.
In business terms, Darwin was careful to the point of scrupulousness. He kept his accounts very carefully, classified them and at the end of the year summed up the results like a merchant. His father left him a fortune that was enough for an independent and modest life.
His own books gave him a significant income, which Charles Darwin was quite proud of, not out of love for money, but because of the consciousness that he could earn his bread. Darwin often provided financial assistance to scientists in need, and in the last years of his life, when his income increased, he decided to allocate part of his money to promote the development of science.
The patience and perseverance with which Darwin carried out his work is amazing. The “pangenesis” hypothesis is the result of twenty-five years of reflection on the question of the causes of heredity. He wrote the book “On the Expression of Sensations” for 33 years: in December 1839 he began collecting materials, and in 1872 the book was published. One of the experiments on earthworms lasted for 29 years! For twenty-one years, from 1837 to 1858, he studied the question of the origin of species before he decided to publish the book.
The book was a huge success and caused a lot of noise, as it contradicted traditional ideas about the origin of life on Earth. One of the boldest ideas was the assertion that evolution lasted many millions of years. This contradicted the Bible's teaching that the world was created in six days and has remained unchanged ever since. Nowadays, most scientists use a modernized version of Darwin's theory to explain changes in living organisms. Some reject his theory for religious reasons.
Charles Darwin discovered that organisms fight each other for food and habitat. He noticed that even within the same species there are individuals with special characteristics that increase their chances of survival. The offspring of such individuals inherits these characteristics, and they gradually become common. Individuals that do not have these characteristics die out. Thus, after many generations, the entire species acquires useful characteristics. This process is called natural selection. He managed to solve the greatest problem of biology: the question of the origin and development of the organic world. We can say that the entire history of biological sciences falls into two periods: before Darwin, the unconscious desire to establish the evolutionary principle, and after Darwin, the conscious development of this principle established in the Origin of Species.
One of the reasons for the success of the theory must be sought in the merits of Darwin's book itself. It is not enough to express an idea, you also need to connect it with facts, and this part of the task is perhaps the most difficult. If Charles Darwin had expressed his thought in a general form, as Wallace did, it, of course, would not have produced even a hundredth part of its effect. But he traced it to the most distant consequences, connected it with data from various branches of science, and supported it with an indestructible battery of facts. He not only discovered the law, but also showed how this law manifests itself in various spheres of phenomena.
Almost all of Darwin's research that appeared after The Origin of Species represents the development of one or another particular principles of his theory. The only exceptions are a book about earthworms and a few small notes. All the rest are devoted to solving various problems of biology - mostly the most confusing and complex from the point of view of natural selection.
In 1862, Charles Darwin published his work “Pollination of Orchids,” proving that plants adapt to their environment in no less surprising ways than animals. For a time he devoted his scientific passions to plant life; each of his subsequent books amazed fellow botanists. The works “Insectivorous Plants” and “Climbing Plants” appeared simultaneously in 1875.
Charles Darwin also made his contribution to the future science of genetics by starting experiments on crossing species. He proved that plants resulting from crossing are more viable and fruitful than from simple self-pollination.
Almost every new work of Darwin became a sensation in the scientific world. True, not all of them were accepted by his contemporaries, as happened, for example, with the study “Formation of plant soil through the activity of worms” (1881). In it, Darwin explained the benefits of worms, which naturally mix the soil. Today, when a lot of people think about the pollution of the earth with chemical fertilizers, this problem has again acquired its relevance.
But his interests were not limited only to theoretical research. In one of his works, Charles Darwin gave practical advice on breeding purebred English hogs. As his theory spread and the results were revealed in countless works, in the rapid transformation of all branches of knowledge, patent scientists and academic luminaries came to terms with the merits of the great naturalist. In 1864, he received the highest award a scientist can receive at the academy: the Copley Gold Medal. In 1867, Darwin was awarded the Prussian Order "Pour Ie merite", established by Frederick William IV to reward scientific and literary merit. The universities of Bonn, Breslau, and Leiden elected him an honorary doctor; Petersburg (1867), Berlin (1878), Paris (1878) Academies - corresponding member.
Darwin treated all these and other official awards with great indifference. He lost his diplomas and had to ask his friends whether he was a member of such and such an academy or not. The scientist’s mind did not weaken or darken over the years, and only death interrupted his mighty work.
Charles Darwin - quotes
Some of the great discoveries that have advanced science can be called “easy,” not in the sense that they were easy to make, but in the sense that once they were made, they were easy for everyone to understand. 
Ignorance always has more self-confidence than knowledge, and only the ignorant can confidently say that science will never be able to solve this or that problem.
I cannot remember a single hypothesis that I originally formulated that was not rejected or changed by me after some time... A fair amount of skepticism is useful for representatives of science, since it allows them to avoid greater loss of time...
If it were possible to show that there is a complex organ which could not have been formed by numerous successive weak modifications, my theory of evolution would be completely destroyed. But I can't find such a case.
Charles Roobert Darwin - naturalist, pioneer of the theory of the origin of life on Earth from a common ancestor, through the evolution of each species. Author of the book “The Origin of Species”, a theory about the origin of man, the concepts of natural and sexual selection, the first ethological study “The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals”, a theory about the causes of evolution.
Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shropshire (England) on the Darwin estate Mount House, in Shrewsbury. Robert Darwin, the boy's father, doctor and financier, son of the scientist naturalist Erasmus Darwin. Mother Suzanne Darwin, nee Wedgwood, daughter of the artist Josiah Wedgwood. There were six children in the Darwin family. The family attended the Unitarian Church, but Charles's mother was a member of the Church of England before her marriage.
In 1817, Charles was sent to school. Eight-year-old Darwin became acquainted with natural history and took his first steps in collecting. In the summer of 1817, the boy's mother died. The father sent his sons Charles and Erasmus in 1818 to a boarding school at the Anglican Church - Shrewsbury School.
Charles did not make progress in his studies. Languages and literature were difficult. The boy's main passion is collecting and hunting. The moral teachings of his father and teachers did not force Charles to come to his senses, and ultimately they gave up on him. Later, young Darwin developed another hobby - chemistry, for which Darwin was even reprimanded by the head of the gymnasium. Charles Darwin graduated from high school with far from brilliant results.
After graduating from high school in 1825, Charles and his brother Erasmus entered the University of Edinburgh, Faculty of Medicine. Before entering, the young man worked as an assistant in his father’s medical practice.
Darwin studied at the University of Edinburgh for two years. During this time, the future scientist realized that medicine was not his calling. The student stopped going to lectures and became interested in making stuffed animals. Charles' teacher in this matter was the freed slave John Edmonstone, who traveled through the Amazon in the group of naturalist Charles Waterton.
Darwin made his first discoveries in the field of anatomy of marine invertebrates. The young scientist presented his work in March 1827 at a meeting of the Plinian Student Society, of which he had been a member since 1826. It was in this same society that young Darwin became acquainted with materialism. During this time he worked as an assistant to Robert Edmond Grant. He attended Robert Jameson's natural history course, where he gained basic knowledge in geology, and worked with collections belonging to the Museum of the University of Edinburgh.
The news about his son’s neglected studies did not delight Darwin Sr. Realizing that Charles would not become a doctor, Robert Darwin insisted that his son enter Christ's College, Cambridge University. Although visits to the Plinian Society greatly shook Darwin’s faith in the dogmas of the church, he did not resist his father’s will and in 1828 passed the entrance exams to Cambridge.
Studying at Cambridge did not interest Darwin too much. The student's time was occupied by hunting and horse riding. A new hobby appeared - entomology. Charles entered the circle of insect collectors. The future scientist became friends with Cambridge professor John Stevens Henslow, who opened the door to the student into the wonderful world of botany. Henslow introduced Darwin to the leading naturalists of the time.
With his final exams approaching, Darwin began to push through the material he had missed in his core subjects. Took 10th place based on graduation exam results.
Trips
After graduating in 1831, Charles Darwin remained in Cambridge for some time. He spent time studying the works of William Paley's Natural Theology and Alexander von Humboldt's Personal Narrative. These books gave Darwin the idea of traveling to the tropics to study natural sciences in practice. To implement the idea of \u200b\u200bthe trip, Charles took a geology course from Adam Sedgwick, and then went with the reverend to North Wales to map the rocks.
Upon his arrival from Wales, Darwin received a letter from Professor Henslow with a recommendation to the captain of the expeditionary ship of the English Royal Navy, the Beagle, Robert Fitzroy. The ship at that time was setting off on a voyage to South America, and Darwin could take the place of a naturalist on the crew. True, the position was not paid. Charles's father categorically objected to the trip, and only a word in favor of Charles's uncle, Josiah Wedgwood II, saved the situation. The young naturalist went on a trip around the world.
Charles Darwin's ship was called the Beagle The journey began in 1831 and ended on October 2, 1836. The crew of the Beagle carried out cartographic surveys of the coasts. Darwin at this time was busy on the shore collecting exhibits for a collection of natural history and geology. He kept a full account of his observations. At every opportunity, the naturalist sent copies of his notes to Cambridge. During his voyage, Darwin collected an extensive collection of animals, a large proportion of which was devoted to marine invertebrates. Described the geological structure of a number of coasts.
Near the Cape Verde Islands, Darwin made a discovery about the influence of time on geological changes, which he used in writing works on geology in the future.
In Patagonia, he discovered the fossilized remains of an ancient mammal, Megatherium. The presence of modern mollusk shells next to it in the rock indicated the recent extinction of the species. The discovery aroused interest in scientific circles in England.
The study of the stepped plains of Patagonia, revealing the ancient strata of the Earth, led Darwin to the conclusion that the statements in Lyell's work "on the persistence and extinction of species" were incorrect.
Off the coast of Chile, the Beagle crew encountered an earthquake. Charles saw the Earth's crust rising above sea level. In the Andes, he found shells of marine invertebrates, which led the scientist to guess about the emergence of barrier reefs and atolls as a result of the tectonic movement of the earth's crust.
On the Galapagos Islands, Darwin noticed differences between local animal species from mainland relatives and representatives of neighboring islands. The objects of the study were Galapagos tortoises and mockingbirds.
In Australia, the strange marsupials and platypuses seen were so different from the fauna of other continents that Darwin seriously thought about another “creator”.
With the Beagle team, Charles Darwin visited the Cocos Islands, Cape Verde, Tenerife, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Tierra del Fuego. Based on the results of the information collected, the scientist created the works “Diary of a Naturalist’s Research” (1839), “Zoology of the Voyage on the Beagle” (1840), “Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs” (1842). He described an interesting natural phenomenon - penitentes (special ice crystals on the glaciers of the Andes).
After returning from his trip, Darwin began collecting evidence for his theory of species change. Living in a deeply religious environment, the scientist understood that with his theory he was undermining the accepted dogmas of the existing world order. He believed in God as a supreme being, but was completely disillusioned with Christianity. His final departure from the church occurred after the death of his daughter Ann in 1851. Darwin did not stop helping the church and providing support to parishioners, but when his family attended church services, he went for a walk. Darwin called himself an agnostic.
In 1838, Charles Darwin became secretary of the Geological Society of London. He held this post until 1841.
Doctrine of descent
In 1837, Charles Darwin began keeping a diary classifying plant varieties and breeds of domestic animals. In it he entered his thoughts on natural selection. The first notes on the origin of species appeared in 1842.
“The Origin of Species” is a chain of arguments supporting the theory of evolution. The essence of the doctrine is the gradual development of populations of species through natural selection. The principles set forth in the work were called “Darwinism” in the scientific community.
In 1856, preparation of an expanded version of the book began. In 1859, 1,250 copies of the work “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Breeds in the Struggle for Life” were published. The book sold out in two days. During Darwin's lifetime, the book was published in Dutch, Russian, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Polish, Hungarian, Spanish and Serbian. Darwin's works are being republished and are still popular today. The natural scientist's theory is still relevant and is the basis of the modern theory of evolution.
Another important work of Darwin is “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection.” In it, the scientist developed a theory about the common ancestor of humans and modern apes. The scientist conducted a comparative anatomical analysis, compared embryological data, on the basis of which he showed the similarity of humans and monkeys (simial theory of anthropogenesis).
In his book On the Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, Darwin described man as part of an evolutionary chain. Man, as a living organism, developed from a lower animal form.
Personal life
Charles Darwin married in 1839. He took marriage seriously. Before making a decision, I wrote down all the pros and cons on a piece of paper. After the verdict “Marry-Marry-Marry”, on November 11, 1838, he proposed to his cousin Emma Wedgwood. Emma is the daughter of Josiah Wedgwood II, uncle of Charles, Member of Parliament and owner of a porcelain factory. At the time of the wedding, the bride turned 30 years old. Before Charles, Emma rejected marriage proposals. The girl corresponded with Darwin during his travels to South America. Emma is an educated girl. She wrote sermons for a rural school and studied music in Paris with Frederic Chopin.
The wedding took place on January 29. The wedding in the Church of England was performed by the brother of the bride and groom, John Allen Wedgwood. The newlyweds settled in London. On 17 September 1842 the family moved to Down, Kent.
Emma and Charles had ten children. Children have achieved a high position in society. Sons George, Francis and Horace were members of the Royal Society of England.
Three babies died. Darwin associated the sickness of children with the kinship between himself and Emma (work “Sickness of descendants from inbreeding and the advantages of distant crossbreeding”).
Death
Charles Darwin died at the age of 73 on April 19, 1882. Buried in Westminster Abbey.
After her husband's death, Emma bought a house in Cambridge. Sons Francis and Horace built houses nearby. The widow lived in Cambridge during the winter. For the summer she moved to the family estate in Kent. She died on October 7, 1896. She was buried in Down, next to Darwin's brother Erasmus.
- Charles Darwin was born on the same day as.
- In the photo Darwin looks like.
- “On the Origin of Species” began to be called that only by the sixth reprint.
- Darwin also learned about new species of animals from a gastronomic point of view: he tasted dishes made from armadillos, ostriches, agouti, and iguanas.
- Many rare species of animals are named in honor of the scientist.
- Darwin never renounced his beliefs: until the end of his days, living in a deeply religious family, he was a doubtful person regarding religion.
- The Beagle's journey lasted five years instead of two.
Charles Darwin is one of the most versatile explorers in human history. Naturalist, traveler, author of the theory of evolution - this is a small part of his extensive achievements and merits.
Childhood and youth
A short biography of Darwin will not describe the scientist’s enormous contribution to the development of modern disciplines, but it begins in 1809.
The scientist was born on February 12 into an English large family in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
According to the information that Darwin left about himself, the biography reports that the boy’s father was involved in finance. He was also a successful doctor. The activities of Robert Darwin allowed the family to live comfortably. Subsequently, the father was proud that his son was Charles Darwin. A short biography of the scientist confirms that father and son supported each other all their lives.
The boy's mother left our world in 1817, and very little information about her has been preserved.
A short biography of Darwin tells us that Charles's grandfather, Erasmus, was a doctor, philosopher, and writer. In general, all family members were people with a high level of intelligence and culture.
What kind of education did Darwin receive? The biography tells that in 1817 he began a course of study at a local day school, and a year later he was transferred to the Anglican one.
Young Charles was a very intelligent child. But at the same time, he did not like to study at school and considered the school curriculum extremely boring.
In his free time from studying, he preferred to collect and study insects, shells, and unusual stones. He observed natural processes - the flowering of trees and shrubs, the flow of rivers, the direction of the wind. He was interested in hunting and fishing.
Charles Darwin. Short biography. University education
In 1825, the father heeded his son's requests and sent him to study at the University of Edinburgh. Robert wanted to see the boy as a successor to the medical dynasty.
He devoted a lot of time to studying biology, in particular, marine invertebrates and algae. He was interested in taxidermy, natural history and geology. He took an active part in the activities of the university museum, where the largest collection of plants in Europe was collected.
After two “terribly boring” years of studying, I gave up studying.
At the insistence of his angry father, he decides to transfer to the Faculty of Theology at Cambridge, where teachers will be able to learn the name that later thundered throughout the world - Charles Darwin. The biography mentions that the applicant thoughtfully reads church books for admission. He studies individually with a teacher in his native Shrewsbury.
Darwin opens a new page in his life. The biography tells about this period in the life of the great scientist: immediately after the end of the Christmas holidays in 1828, he successfully passed the entrance exams.
The years of study were remembered for lessons in horse riding, hunting, collecting beetles, studying literature, mathematics, physics, and geography.
He graduated from his education in 1831. Despite the fact that he did not shine with any particular success during his studies, the knowledge gained allowed Darwin to be on the list of the ten best graduates.
After graduating from university, I began to doubt even more the truth of the dogmas of Christianity.
Charles Darwin: a short biography. Naturalistic activity
In the never-ending quest to realize his potential, the scientist meets the famous botanist John Henslow, who accepted the graduate into the team of nature explorers of South America on the Beagle. Subsequently, the eminent scientist was very happy that Charles Darwin went as part of the team. The biography, studied in detail by historians of science, confirms this statement.
Charles's father was against the trip, considering it a waste of time. It was only thanks to the intervention of his uncle, Josiah Wedgwood II, that Robert Darwin gave in and gave his parting blessing to his son.
Over a more than five-year journey, the team visited Peru, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Europe, Australia, and Africa.
Conclusion
Charles Darwin ranked among the most prominent scientists of all times. His work proving the origin of living beings from common ancestors is the basis of modern biology, as well as genetics.
Directed by John Amiel, Darwin's short autobiography was filmed in the 2009 film On the Origin of Species.
Recognized as one of the most outstanding Britons of all time.
19th century. Darwin was born in 1809, on February 12 in the city of Shrewsbury, England. When he turned 16, the young man went to study at the University of Edinburgh. At first, Darwin entered the Faculty of Medicine, but soon realized that medicine and anatomy were not for him, and decided to change his place of study. Charles sent him to get an education at Cambridge, where he entered the Faculty of Religion. Here the obstinate Englishman realized that religion was not his destiny, and study did not attract him at all. Horse riding and shooting are another matter. However, the young man managed to make the strongest impression on his teachers.
One of them suggested that the young man go on the military corvette Beagle to serve as a natural scientist. Darwin's father was against his son's trip, but the teacher managed to persuade the strict parent, who believed that his son was looking for any excuse to skip school. Darwin boarded the ship at the age of 22. The next five years of the young man's life were spent in... The ship sailed around the world, leisurely cruising off the coast of South America.
During the journey, Charles saw many islands of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. Darwin actively took advantage of the opportunity. He communicated with the primitive tribes that lived on these islands, observed unusual natural phenomena, saw unknown fossils, and discovered new species of plants and insects. During the trip, he did not look up from his notebook, constantly making notes. His observations during this time would become the basis of his scientific work. In 1836, Charles returned to his homeland. In the later years of his life he published books that earned him a reputation as one of the most famous biologists. Soon Darwin, based on his observations, came to the conclusion that animals and plants do not exist in their original form, but are constantly evolving.
For a long time he could not understand what the reasons were that forced species to evolve. However, he will be able to formulate the principle of natural selection. After his findings, Darwin did not immediately publish them, fearing criticism. He outlined the foundations of his theory only in 1842. For 4 years, he carefully collected evidence and accumulated facts that would help him unconditionally confirm the theory. Darwin's books such as The Origin of Species, The Preservation of Favored Breeds in the Struggle for Life, and The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection caused a great stir in society. Scales of criticism, approval and rave reviews, fame and popularity. All this was brought to the scientist by his scientific work.
In the last book, the author put forward the theory that man descended from apes. This was a shock to society. Darwin himself wasted no time in discussions with critics. The main reason why he was not like the critics was his poor health. As he traveled around the world, he suffered a relapse of a tropical disease. In addition, there were ardent defenders in society Darwin's theories. Such was, for example, the bright and eloquent Thomas Huxley. It is worth recognizing that by the time of Charles’s death, almost the entire scientific world recognized the correctness of the scientist’s theory. Charles was not the first to put forward such a theory. Before him, such assumptions were made by his grandfather - Erasmus Darwin and Jean Lamarck. But they could not substantiate their assumptions in detail and qualitatively. Darwin's influence on science was enormous. He made a real revolution in biology. Natural selection has become a broad concept, and scientists apply this principle to other
The UK will celebrate on Thursday the 200th anniversary of the famous scientist, founder of evolutionary theory Charles Darwin.
Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in the small English town of Shrewsbury.
His father, Robert Waring, practiced medicine. Mother, Suzanne Wedgwood, came from a wealthy family of owners of the famous porcelain factory, but died when Charles Darwin was not yet eight years old.
From early childhood, Charles developed a love and interest in nature, first expressed in collecting plants, minerals, shells, insects, bird nests and eggs, fishing and hunting. Collecting was his favorite pastime - as a child he also collected stamps, envelopes, autographs, coins, etc.
In 1825, at the insistence of his father, Darwin entered the University of Edinburgh, where he studied for two years, preparing for a medical career, but did not bother himself with serious studies. He did not like medicine, and Charles could not bring himself to attend operations.
Then he decided to become a priest, for which he entered the University of Cambridge, where he studied theology for three years.
After graduating from university in 1831, Charles Darwin became a naturalist on the Royal Navy expedition ship HMS Beagle and set off on a voyage around the world. He returned to England only in October 1836. During his journey, Darwin visited the island of Tenerife, the Cape Verde Islands, the coast of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Tierra del Fuego, Tasmania, the Cocos Islands and made a large number of observations. The results were presented in the works “Diary of a Naturalist’s Research” (1839), “Zoology of the Voyage on the Beagle” (1840), “Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs” (1842), etc.
These works made Darwin famous among scientists. From then on, he devoted his energies entirely and exclusively to science.
After returning to England he settled in London, where he was secretary of the Geological Society of London from 1838-1841. In 1839 Darwin married his cousin Emma Wedgwood.
In 1842, due to Darwin's poor health, the couple moved from London to Down (Kent), where they began to live permanently. Here Darwin led a solitary and measured life as a scientist and writer.
Since 1837, Darwin began keeping a diary, in which he entered data on breeds of domestic animals and plant varieties, as well as ideas about natural selection.
From 1837 to 1839, he created a series of notebooks in which he sketched out thoughts about evolution in a brief and fragmentary manner. In 1842 he wrote the first essay on the origin of species.
In 1854-1855, Darwin began work in earnest on the theory of evolution: he collected materials on the variability, heredity and evolution of wild species of animals and plants, as well as data on methods of selection of domestic animals and cultivated plants, comparing the results of artificial and natural selection. He began writing a book, which, according to his estimates, should have consisted of 3-4 volumes. By the summer of 1858, he had written ten chapters of this work. This work was never completed and was first published in the UK in 1975.
In 1859, Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life, in which he identified natural selection and indeterminate variability as the main driving force of evolution.
In 1868, Darwin published his second work, “Change in Domestic Animals and Cultivated Plants,” which included many examples of the evolution of organisms. In 1871, his work “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection” appeared, where Darwin substantiated the hypothesis of the origin of man from an ape-like ancestor.
The existence of evolution was recognized by most scientists during Darwin's lifetime, while his theory of natural selection, as the main explanation of evolution, became generally accepted only in the 30s of the 20th century.
Darwin's other famous works include Barnacles (1851-1854), Pollination in the Orchids (1862), The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), and The Action of Cross-Pollination and Self-Pollination in the Plant World (1876). . In 1881, a year before his death, Darwin published a major work on the role of earthworms in soil formation.
Charles Darwin received many awards from scientific societies in Great Britain and other European countries. The universities of Bonn, Breslau, and Leiden elected him an honorary doctor; Petersburg (1867), Berlin (1878), Paris (1878) Academies - corresponding member.
Charles Darwin died on April 19, 1882 at his estate Down; buried in Westminster Abbey next to Newton's tomb.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
