James Baquet

    Probably no scientist has impacted the thoughts of everyday people like the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Before Darwin, most people in the West believed that God had created them specially, and that they were somehow favored over all other creatures.

    But from the time Darwin published his 1859 bombshell “On the Origin of Species,” many people were disappointed to realize that humans resulted from natural processes, without any necessary guidance from “above.”

    Simply put, Darwin’s “theory of evolution” states that just as brothers and sisters are different, so individuals in a species are different. And the individuals that are best suited to their environments are more likely to live long enough to have offspring than those who aren’t. This is called “survival of the fittest” — not the biggest, strongest, or fastest, but the one that can live long enough to reproduce.

    In time, the species will begin to change (or “adapt”) in the direction that best fits the environment. This is called “natural selection.” All plants and animals alive today are the result of this process, which started with common ancestors which were the simplest forms of life.

    But how did Darwin arrive at this idea? It was not by any direct route. He began his university studies in medicine, and later theology, but became increasingly attracted to natural science, especially biology.

    After graduation from Cambridge, he set sail in 1831 on the H.M.S. Beagle, the mission of which was to chart the coast of South America. Darwin was not the official ship’s naturalist, as he wanted to keep his collection for himself. Instead he was a companion to the captain.

    Many of his experiences, including the rising of land in a violent earthquake in Chile, convinced him that the world had not remained unchanged since “the creation.” After returning to England in 1836, he spent years studying his collection, including the famous finches from the Galapagos Islands. At last he arrived at his conclusions and published his book, causing a furor that still has not died down.

    Vocabulary

    1. in this case, heaven or God

    2. small birds

    3. an event that surprises or disturbs people

    4. study of religion

    5. those who came before us, like grandparents

    6. help, direction

    7. children, grandchildren, etc.

    8. uproar, controversy

    9. common, usual, not specially-trained

    10. task, assignment