Darwin
For thousands of years the only explanation for the existence of life on Earth rested in the Old Testament, with God as the creator of all living organisms. In spite of this, the nineteenth century included curiosity of the organisms that saturate the planet. Fascinated explorers investigated and analyzed every aspect of the lives of organisms. The newfound curiosity conflicted with the belief of the Church, which stood by its belief of heavenly creation. The new evolutionary ideas became inhibited, as they were outlawed in classrooms and denounced by the Church itself. One of the few pioneers of biological research from the time period, Charles Darwin, fearlessly published his conclusions, including his many theories on the evolution of animal life. Throughout his life, Darwin produced numerous theories on evolution including his theory on the Struggle for Life/Natural Selection process and his Theory of Evolution, both of which appear in his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Races in the Struggle for Life.
In 1809, Susannah Wedgwood conceived her son, Charles Darwin, in Shrewsbury, England. Darwin's influences in his work can be traced as far back as his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, who proposed his own theory of evolution in the 1790's. The elder Darwin's theory, however, lacked physical evidence to support and promote the general idea of evolution. To ensure the same would not happen to him, Charles pursued the finest education possible, studying at both Edinburgh and Cambridge Universities. In 1831 he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Theology from Cambridge, and soon thereafter began his exploration of the world. Darwin was then called upon as an expert naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, traveling across multiple continents and finding a few early discoveries that sparked an interest, leading to increased exploration and analysis. For example, on one of the Beagle's stops in South America,...
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