Darwin was born into a family of doctors in Shrewsbury. Grandfather Erasmus Darwin is a member of the Royal Society, a famous philosopher, naturalist and doctor. His works are permeated with the idea of evolution. Father robert will Ning Darwin is also a member of the Royal Society and a famous doctor of medicine. Such a family environment played a subtle role in Darwin's childhood. His mother died when he was eight years old, and the next year he went to Shrewsbury School.
Darwin showed great interest in nature from an early age. After class, he is keen on collecting fossils and various biological specimens and observing various animal and plant habits. 1825, his father sent him to Edinburgh University to study medicine, hoping to follow in his father's footsteps. But Darwin was not interested in studying medicine. He thinks school courses are boring, except chemistry. At school, he showed special interest in geology and zoology. He spent a lot of time reading natural history books, often discussing biological problems with young natural scientists, observing and dissecting animals, and finding mistakes in previous studies on cladocera and leeches. Two papers written by him were read out at Pliny Society and received favorable comments. In Edinburgh, R.E. Grant, a zoologist and professor of anatomy, introduced him to J.B. Duramark's theory of evolution, which had an important influence on Darwin.
Darwin dabbled extensively in extracurricular knowledge, but his father accused him of being "idle" and "neglecting his studies". Before he graduated, his father transferred him to Cambridge University to study theology. A large number of lectures in the classroom are church teachings and various theological books, including the creationism that God created all things with the same species. Darwin was even less interested in theology, but he still loved the study of natural history. He collected a large number of insects, including many rare species, and some insects were collected into the British Insect Atlas edited by entomologist Stephens. During his stay in Cambridge, he studied A.V. Humboldt's Travel Notes in South America and J. Herschel's Introduction to the Study of Natural Philosophy, from which he was inspired and encouraged, and was determined to make contributions to the development of natural science.
In Cambridge, Darwin especially liked botanist J.S. Henslow's botany class, and Henslow had profound attainments in botany, entomology, chemistry, mineralogy and geology. Darwin often followed him to observe wild animals and plants, and was deeply influenced by his knowledge and research methods. Henslow introduced him to a sedgwick, a professor of geology, and studied geology under his guidance. 183 1 In the summer vacation, Darwin went to North Wales with him for a geological survey, and learned to collect rock samples, analyze geological structures and identify fossils, which benefited a lot.
183 1 year, after Darwin graduated from Cambridge University, Henslow recommended him to take part in HMS Beagle's global exploration. This accidental opportunity decided his life.
The main task of Beagle's voyage around the world is to draw hydrological maps of the east and west coasts of South America and nearby islands. Darwin used this voyage to investigate the geological and animal and plant resources along the way. The research ship set out from Devon, England, and sailed for the Atlantic coast of South America. After completing the investigation along the southern cone, it crossed the Pacific Ocean to the southern coast of Oceania, then passed through many islands in the Indian Ocean to southern Africa, and then returned to South America. It took five years to return to England.
During the voyage, Darwin overcame many difficulties such as seasickness and illness, and always observed the animals and plants and various geological landforms along the way with the strong curiosity and sharp eyes of scientists. With the changes of natural environment and climatic conditions, all kinds of animals and plants that have never been seen before appeared in front of Darwin. Charming exotic flowers and plants, rare animal populations and ancient biological fossils are dizzying. He eagerly collected all kinds of animal and plant specimens and biological fossils and described them in detail. By the end of the voyage, he had written 26 diaries and a large number of letters, which accumulated valuable information for continuing scientific research.
Darwin was first famous in geology. During his trip, he studied Ryle's geological principles in detail. Prior to this, European geologists were ruled by "Catastrophe Theory", and believed that the mountains and hills uplifted on the seabed were caused by catastrophes with supernatural power in history. Every time a disaster happens, the creatures on the earth are destroyed, and after the disaster, new creatures are created. They cannot correctly explain the great changes that have taken place in nature, animals and plants. Finally, they can only turn to God, and regard God as the great force that caused all these changes and as the creator of all things in the world. Ryle dealt a devastating blow to Catastrophism. Ryle believes that stratigraphic changes are closely related to the remains of biological fossils. In successive times, the species of animals and plants are different. "The newer the stratigraphic age, the more similar the types of organisms are to the existing species, but far from the species produced in older rocks." This view gave Darwin great enlightenment.
Darwin joined the Geological Society in June 1836, 1 1 and was elected as a director and secretary. He compiled the results of geological survey into a book, and successively published works such as Structure and Distribution of Coral Reef (1842), Geological Survey of Volcanic Island (1844) and Geological Survey of South America (1846). Darwin used the first-hand information collected during his investigation to scientifically explain the role of natural phenomena such as earthquakes and volcanoes in causing crustal changes, thus refuting the fallacy of "Cataclysm". He also successfully expounded the formation mechanism of coral reefs, and corals piled up like small architects for hundreds of millions of years, forming coral reefs and coral islands.
The most outstanding achievement of Darwin's life is the development of evolution. In the era of theological rule, all creatures in the world are said to have been created by God and will never change. Darwin once believed in the theory of species invariance, but he found a lot of species variation in his global investigation. For example, he found an extinct mammal fossil in South America, which looks very similar to the armadillo still living there, but the latter has changed; In South America, from north to south, with the change of natural environment, it is the same ostrich, and its body shape is different due to different habitats. Animals inhabiting the island have the characteristics of similar animals in neighboring continents, but with the expansion of distance, these characteristics are more different, and the island has its own unique species. These facts conflict with creationism and species invariance, prompting Darwin to think. A scientific view gradually formed in his mind, that is, the species of plants and animals are not constant, but constantly evolving.
Darwin was a serious scientist, and he refused to jump to conclusions easily. After he came back from traveling around the world, he consulted breeders and gardeners who had made great achievements in seed cultivation and conducted breeding experiments himself. He also consulted a lot of materials, including China ancient literature. He learned from the production practice of ancient and modern humans that for a long time, people have chosen improved varieties of animals and plants according to their needs, constantly changing towards people's wishes and cultivating new varieties. This proves that people have cultivated new varieties through artificial selection in production practice.
Is there a process similar to artificial selection in nature, that is, is there natural selection? Darwin observed that some species became extinct because they could not adapt to the environment, while others thrived because they could better adapt to the environment. Inspired by Malthus' theory of population, Darwin believed that the extremely high reproduction rate of animals and plants was limited by the limited space and food in nature, which led to the premature death of a large number of animals and plants, just as human reproduction was "actively suppressed" by war, disease, famine and other factors. In the competition for survival, those mutations that are suitable for survival can be preserved and developed, while those that are not suitable for survival will be eliminated and eliminated. Animals and plants are constantly evolving through natural selection to produce new species.
After years of observation and careful study, Darwin began to sort out the information on the origin of species from 1837. 1October, 1859, 165438, Darwin's painstaking research works for many years were published.
The book lists a large number of facts to prove that organisms are evolving, species are changing, new species are constantly produced, and old species that cannot adapt to environmental changes are constantly extinct. All kinds of creatures developed from the same ancestor. Darwin explained the mechanism of biological evolution based on natural selection. In the process of historical development, the accumulation of favorable variation leads to the formation of new species, so natural selection is the main factor of biological evolution.
The publication of the Origin of Species caused a sensation in academia and society. Darwin's theory of evolution scientifically reveals the origin of species and the law of biological evolution, which is a fatal blow to creationism and metaphysical theory of species invariance. It has completed a revolution in biology, promoted the formation of various branches of biology, promoted the development of historical ecology, historical biology, historical geography and genetics, exerted a wide influence on natural science and social science, and provided an important natural science foundation for materialism. Some people use the theory of evolution to prove the inevitability of social progress, but some sociologists confuse the essential difference between biology and human beings, introduce the principle of "strong survival and weak elimination" into the relationship between people, defend the law of the jungle, and form "social Darwinism".
After the publication of the Origin of Species, it was immediately highly praised by revolutionary instructors Marx and Engels and praised by progressive scientists. The theory of evolution, like a dagger thrown at the heart of theology, has aroused the siege of theologians, conservative biologists and reactionary politicians, calling it treason against God, "blasphemy" against theology and violation of "divine right of kings". They published publications, wrote threatening letters, held debates and besieged Darwin's theory. British Prime Minister disraeli personally attacked and publicly banned the teaching of evolution in schools. But truth is invincible.
Due to the limitations of the times, Darwin's theory also has some defects. He only emphasized the gradual evolution of organisms and denied mutation and gradual interruption. He did not understand the role of genetic variation in biological evolution.
Darwin wrote a lot in his life, in addition to the above, mainly including: a natural scientist's trip on the Beagle, the variation of animals and plants at home, the origin and sexual choice of human beings, the expressions of people and animals and so on.
Because of Darwin's great achievements in science, his lofty reputation soon spread all over Britain and the world, and various honors followed. 1839, Darwin, who was only 30 years old, was elected as a member of the Royal Society. He was awarded honorary doctorates by Cambridge University, Bonn University and Burroughs Law University. The Prussian government awarded him the title of knighthood of meritorious service. He has won various medals for many times and was elected as an honorary member by 57 foreign societies or academic groups.
As early as 65438+70s, Darwin's theory was introduced into China. 1898, Evolution translated by Yan Fu was officially published, which systematically introduced Darwin's theory of evolution, and Yan Fu summarized the essence of evolution with two meanings of "natural selection and competition". Before long, Darwin's original works and his life were also introduced to China. At the beginning of the 20th century, Ma's translation of Dahl Cultural Relics Competition and Darwin's Natural Selection came out. Later, Ma translated two books, The Origin of Species and Human Origin and Sexual Selection, and reprinted them many times. The successor of the theory of evolution not only promoted the development of modern natural science in China, but also became the ideological weapon of China's advanced intellectuals and revolutionaries eager to overthrow imperialism and feudalism in order to save the country and strengthen the country. They deduced the philosophical viewpoint that everything in the world is evolving and developing from the theory of biological evolution, so as to demonstrate the inevitability of overthrowing the decadent society.
1882 On April 9, Darwin died at the age of 73 in his former residence in Daven Village, not far from London. During the funeral, Huxley, Hooke and other famous scientists helped to carry the coffin, and many foreign scholars also sent representatives to attend the funeral. His body was buried in Westminster Abbey, with the great scientist Newton and other celebrities.