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Surveying the coasts
Darwin set off to sea on the HMS Beagle, for a voyage that would last five years. These would prove to be very formative years for our young naturalist. He encountered fossils of giant mammals that seemed shockingly similar to their modern counterparts. Once they reached the Galapagos Islands, Darwin heard of variations in tortoises and finches depending on the island they came from, this rumor proved true, and no doubt shaped his thinking.
Darwin, Charles. "The Voyage of the Beagle." (1839) -
Birds and Barnacles
Now back home, Darwin became obsessed with the idea of "survival of the fittest", after learning of Thomas Malthus's population theory. He started breeding pigeons, speculating that human breeders were exerting selective forces analogous to the environment, but at a much faster pace. It was also during this time that he became a world renowned barnacle expert.
Darwin, Charles. "A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia: With Figures of All the Species" (1851) -
The Origin of Species
Now a famous naturalist, Darwin was contacted by Alfred Wallace. Wallace had reached similar conclusions as Darwin with regard to natural selection. This prompted Darwin to finish the book he was writing,On the Origin of Species . In it he lays out the argument for natural selection, and the near 30 years of observational evidence he had accumulated.
Darwin, Charles. "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection." London (1859) -
The Decent of Man
The theory of natural selection quickly became adopted by the scientific community, and modern biology was born. In Darwin's final famous work, he set out to place humans within the animal kingdom. He showed the physical and mental relationship between humans and other apes. With that, biology became firmly grounded within the natural sciences, much like heliocentrism grounded astronomy.
Darwin, Charles. "The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex" (1871)
