Darwin's Epic Journey

What was Charles Darwin's contribution to science?

Charles Darwin was born in England on February 12, 1809—the same day as Abraham Lincoln. He grew up at a time when the scientific view of the natural world was shifting dramatically. Geologists were suggesting that Earth was ancient and had changed over time. Biologists were suggesting that life on Earth had also changed. The process of change over time is called evolution. Darwin developed a scientific theory of biological evolution that explains how modern organisms evolved over long periods of time through descent from common ancestors.

Darwin's journey began in 1831, when he was invited to sail on the HMS Beagle's five-year voyage along the route shown in Figure 16–1. The captain and his crew would be mapping the coastline of South America. Darwin planned to collect specimens of plants and animals. No one knew it, but this would be one of the most important scientific voyages in history. Why? Because the Beagle trip led Darwin to develop what has been called the single best idea anyone has ever had.

If you think evolution is just about explaining life's ancient history, you might wonder why it's so important. But Darwin's work offers vital insights into today's world by showing how the living world is constantly changing. That perspective helps us understand modern phenomena like drug-resistant bacteria and newly emerging diseases like avian flu.

In Your Notebook Using what you know about ecology, explain how the ideas of a changing Earth and evolving life forms might be related.