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A LOVE OF SCIENCE<o:p></o:p>From an early age, I studied everything I could about animals. I collected beetles and fossils. I even found a taxidermist who taught me how to stuff birds and other animals. I was fascinated by the natural world, new discoveries and science.<o:p></o:p>But I wasn’t the first in my family to make a name for myself as a scientist. From my grandfather to my father, it appeared that genes of curiosity were passed down. My father sent me to Cambridge University to study religion, but I was not sure this was right for me. I liked to study wildlife, rocks and plants. <o:p></o:p>One of my university professors had noticed my taxidermy skills and put my name forward to join a global research expedition, which launched my career as a natural scientist. I set sail, ready to discover and document the diversity of the natural world. <o:p></o:p>ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME<o:p></o:p>A ship called HMS Beagle became my home for almost the next five years, and I lived in a small cabin along with a crew of 73 sailors. It was close living, and I was terribly sick from the constant motion of the ship. They called me ‘landlubber’ as I staggered about the deck.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F5b815ffac9e94b30bbcb0da082713fba" alt="" style="width: 469.968px; height: 263.75px;"> <o:p></o:p>But the high points of discovering the natural world more than made up for the bad times. And with new lands, there were new puzzles to solve. <o:p></o:p>In the Galapagos Islands, there were no people, but there were plenty of creatures. Strange looking chicken-sized birds with bright red chests, iguanas, and albatrosses with a wingspan of over six feet.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>A REVOLUTIONARY THEORYThere were also 14 different species of finch that varied from island to island. This struck me as odd. It is in the small details that you make the real discoveries. For example, with the finches in the Galapagos, their beaks, claws and overall size seemed to vary between each of the different islands. It made me wonder if they developed to suit their specific environment. If I was right, it meant there were doubts in the belief that God created the universe.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F480aa6546a524295a7b564e23f04fa41" alt="" style="width: 398.879px; height: 300.984px;"> <o:p></o:p>After almost five years, our ship finally sailed into Falmouth Docks in 1836. Scientists were excited to hear what I had to say – but I was claiming that I did not believe man’s evolution could be traced to the son of God. Neither my father nor my grandfather had risked our respected name or their career with suggestions that questioned the role of the Creator of nature.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>I needed courage and to stand by the science in my work, not faith.<o:p></o:p>I kept my thinking on evolution private for almost 20 years and felt strongly that I should keep gathering evidence. <o:p></o:p>AN IDEA ACCEPTED<o:p></o:p>Over time, more people came to see evolution as the key to understanding nature. <o:p></o:p>Eventually, in 1859,I published my book, On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Herbert Spencer called this idea ‘the survival of the fittest’. All of the1,250 copies that were printed sold quickly, followed by new editions including translations. It became a worldwide bestseller, and I was suggested for a knighthood, but church officials stepped in to stop it.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F98fc678bdb0f4ad4be374c97fa90c636" alt="" style="width: 405.654px; height: 279.938px;"> <o:p></o:p>In 1871, I published The Descent of Man. By now, I had the confidence to write in detail about human evolution from apes, and many people were ready for my ideas. Surprisingly, my book did not get the strong negative reaction I had expected, and many respected scientists came to believe in my thinking.<div style="text-align: center;">GLOSSARY</div>Taxidermist – someone who stuffs and mounts the skins of animals to make them look lifelike.<o:p></o:p>Natural scientist – someone who studies the universe to understand how it works.<o:p></o:p>Evolution – how different kinds of living things are believed to have developed from earlier forms during the history of the earth.LEGACY AND RECOGNITION<ul><li>Charles Darwin is one of the most important scientists in world history.</li><li>Just some of the things named after Charles Darwin include geographical features around the world, over 250 species of plants and animals, a lunar crater, an asteroid, and a computer operating system.</li><li>Charles Darwin observed variations in nature within a species (evolution) and wrote ‘On the Origin of Species’ almost 100 years before DNA was identified.</li><li>The Darwin-Wallace medal is awarded by the Linnean Society of London, for major advances in evolutionary biology.</li><li>Darwin Day is held on 12 February each year, commemorating his birth in 1809.</li><li>Charles Darwin is only one of five non-royals to be given a state funeral.</li></ul>IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDITSDrawing of HMS Beagle (1832), Original drawing by F. G. King, digital photo by Alexei Kouprianov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<o:p></o:p>Darwin’s finches, John Gould, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsHuman Evolution, Pixabay

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