Stepping into Darwinism

In the last episode on evolution, a brief overview on to the works of Darwin was instituted. However, we couldn't help revisiting one of the greatest conceptualisation ever. This time with more details. We present an inctricate extract on the progression of the living world in segments.

Historical Note:

Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882)

Charles Robert Darwin, (born February 12, 1809, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England—died April 19, 1882, Downe, Kent), English

naturalist who proposed the scientific theory of evolution by natural selection, became the foundation of modern evolutionary studies.

Figure 1. On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. London: Murray

Darwin at first shocked religious Victorian society by suggesting

that animals and humans shared a common ancestry. However,

his nonreligious biology appealed to the rising class of

professional scientists, and by the time of his death evolutionary imagery had spread through all of science, literature, and politics. Darwin, himself an agnostic, was accorded the ultimate British accolade of burial in Westminster Abbey, London.

Darwin formulated his theory of evolution after returning from a voyage around the world abroad HMS Beagle and it was finally

published in the book “The Origin of Species” in 1859 [Fig. 1]

The Beagle Voyage

Figure 2. Voyage of the Beagle- Map showing the route of Darwin’s 5-year voyage on the HMS Beagle

Figure 3.The HMS Beagle resting on the sands near Rio Santa Cruz, Patagonia, South America

In 1831, when Darwin was just 22 years old, he set sail on a scientific expedition on a ship called the HMS Beagle [Fig. 3]. He was the naturalist on the voyage. As a naturalist, it was his job to observe and collect specimens

of plants, animals, rocks, and fossils

wherever the expedition went ashore.

The route the ship took and the stops they made are shown in Fig.2. This map shows the route of Darwin’syear voyage on the HMS Beagle. Each stop along the way is labeled. Darwin and the others on board eventually circled the globe. He spent more than 3years of the 5-year trip exploring nature on distant continents and islands.

Figure 4. Circumnavigation routes along the Galápagos Archipelago

The Galápagos Archipelago During the long voyage, Darwin made many observations that helped him form his theory of evolution. Darwin’s most important observations were made on the Galápagos Islands [Fig. 4]. This is a group of 16 small volcanic islands 966 kilometers (600 miles) off the west coast of Ecuador, South America. The islands are relatively young in geological time-scale and they have never been connected with the adjacent mainland of South America or with any other source area. All of the organisms that occur on these islands have reached there by crossing the sea, as a result of chance dispersal in the water, by wind or by transport via another organism.

In 1831, when Darwin was just 22 years old, he set sail on a scientific expedition on a ship called the HMS Beagle [Fig. 3]. He was the naturalist on the voyage. As a naturalist, it was his job to observe and collect specimensnd had saddle-shaped shells, while those on another island had dome-shaped shells [Fig. 5]. This started Darwin thinking about the origin of species. He wondered how each island came to have its own type of tortoise. That's all for this episode. Let all these details merinate and get settled in your mind. We will see you in the next episode with more of Darwinism! Author and Editor: Rajarshi Mondal