Darwin and the Development of a Theory Leading up to the Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle © 2008 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Darwin and the Development of a Theory

Leading up to the Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle

© 2008 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Use for SGI Field Test only.

Who Was Charles Darwin?

View the following video clip to get an overview of who Darwin was and his ideas about evolution:

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.evo.dar/










Historical time leading up to Darwin’s life and work

1798Economist Thomas Malthus suggested that: • Population growth, including human population growth,

will always exceed the amount of food available to feed the population.

• The geometric growth of the human population would lead to starvation and suffering by the poorer members of society.

• There would be competition for food. • Those successful in competing would survive, while

those who failed were doomed to starvation.

1809

Darwin was born.

French naturalist Jean Baptise Lamarck published Zoological Philosophy:• Proposed a mechanism for evolution based on

use and disuse of organs.

• Lamarck’s work was one of the first theories of evolution.


An example of Lamarck’s mechanism for evolution

This is an adult giraffe. The giraffe reaches for leaves slightly out of reach. The use of the neck causes it to lengthen slightly. The offspring of the giraffe also has a longer neck.


Today, Lamarck’s theory is not supported by evidence and has been rejected.


1825

Darwin’s father takes him out of school for his poor grades and lack of direction. Thinking Charles might end up being a disgrace to himself and his family, his father decided that he should pursue a medical career along with his brother.

That summer Darwin worked as an assistant in his father’s medical practice.


1827

After realizing he did not enjoy studying medicine, Darwin dropped out of medical school and began preparing for a career in the clergy at Cambridge.


1830

Charles Lyell published the first volume of Principles of Geology:•Discusses evidence for the great age of

the Earth. • Proposed that small changes built up over

long periods of time lead to change on a grand scale.


1831

Darwin passed the final exam for the clergy.

Darwin received a letter from a professor and tutor at Cambridge inviting him on the voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle for its survey of South America and other locations around the world. Darwin’s father did not approve, but eventually allowed him to go.


Now you will read more about Darwin’s development of the theory of natural selection.


Darwin and the Development of a Theory Leading up to the Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle © 2008 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Documents

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