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Darwin's On the Origin of Species
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In 1859 Charles Darwin published a book that changed how people understood life on Earth, and sparked fierce debate.
The voyage of the Beagle
Charles Darwin sailed round the world on HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836.
He collected fossils, plants and animals. On the Galapagos Islands he noticed that animals such as finches and tortoises differed from island to island.
He collected fossils, plants and animals. On the Galapagos Islands he noticed that animals such as finches and tortoises differed from island to island.
Natural selection
Darwin developed the theory of evolution by natural selection:
Living things vary. Those best suited to their surroundings are more likely to survive and have young, passing on their features. Over very long periods, species change.
Alfred Russel Wallace came up with a similar idea, and their ideas were presented together in 1858.
Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859.
Living things vary. Those best suited to their surroundings are more likely to survive and have young, passing on their features. Over very long periods, species change.
Alfred Russel Wallace came up with a similar idea, and their ideas were presented together in 1858.
Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859.
Reactions
The book sold out quickly.
Some religious people were angry, because the Bible describes God creating each kind of living thing. In 1860 there was a famous debate in Oxford about it.
Other people, including some Christians, accepted evolution. Over time it became the basis of modern biology. Darwin was buried in Westminster Abbey in 1882.
Some religious people were angry, because the Bible describes God creating each kind of living thing. In 1860 there was a famous debate in Oxford about it.
Other people, including some Christians, accepted evolution. Over time it became the basis of modern biology. Darwin was buried in Westminster Abbey in 1882.
Why was On the Origin of Species controversial in 1859?
- It said species change slowly over time through natural selection.
- Many people believed God had created each species in its present form, as described in the Bible.
- So the book seemed to challenge religious teaching.
Answer: It suggested species evolved naturally, which seemed to some to challenge the Bible's account of creation.
Darwin sailed on HMS Beagle (1831 to 1836) and studied the Galapagos. His theory of evolution by natural selection was published in On the Origin of Species (1859). Wallace had a similar idea. It caused religious debate but became the basis of modern biology.
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