Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He was the British naturalist who became famous for his theories of evolution. Darwin believed all the life on earth evolved (developed gradually) over millions of years from a few common ancestors. From 1831 to 1836 Darwin served as naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle on a British science expedition around the world. In South America Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species. On the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, he noticed many variations among plants and animals of the same general type as those in South America. The expedition visited places around the world and Darwin studied plants and animals everywhere he went, collecting specimens for further study.Upon his return to London, Darwin conducted thorough experiments of his notes and specimens. Out of his research grew several related theories. The four theories that came out of his research are that evolution does occur, the evolutionary change was gradual, evolution was triggered by natural selection, and all species of organisms evolved from a single original organism. Darwin's theory of evolutionary selection states that variation within species occurs randomly and that the survival or extinction of each organism is determined by that organism's ability to adapt to its environment. He stated these theories in his book called, "On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection” which he wrote in 1859. After publication of “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”, Darwin continued to write on botany, geology, and zoology until his death in 1882. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.Darwin's work had a tremendous impact on religious thought. Many people strongly opposed the idea of evolution because it conflicted with their religious beliefs. Darwin avoided talking about the theological and sociological aspects of his work, but...
