Darwin’s work on evolution

• Evolution is the change of inherited characteristics within a population over time through natural selection
• Evolution may result in the formation of a new species
• Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who studied variation in plants, animals, and fossils during a five-year voyage around the world in the 19th century
• Darwin visited the Galapágos Islands, near Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, where he observed many organisms including finches, tortoises, and mockingbirds
• Darwin's theory of evolution challenged the idea that God made all the animals and plants on Earth
• Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection, which includes:

  • Individual organisms within a species show a wide range of variation for a characteristic
  • Individuals with characteristics most suited to the environment are more likely to survive and breed successfully
  • The characteristics that have enabled these individuals to survive are passed on to the next generation
• Darwin did not publish his scientific work and ideas until 28 years after his voyage
• Darwin's theory of evolution is based on many years of experimentation, discussions with like-minded scientists, and his developing knowledge of geology and fossils
• Darwin's theory of evolution is known as natural selection