3.1 Charles Darwin and the voyage of the Beagle

What is Charles Darwin’s family background?

Charles Darwin was born into a wealthy and socially prominent family in England. His father, Robert Darwin, was a successful physician, and his mother, Sarah Wedgwood, was part of the renowned Wedgwood pottery family.

Where was Charles Darwin born?

1809 in Shrewsbury, England

Where did Charles Darwin go to school?

Darwin attended the University of Edinburgh to study medicine and later graduated from Christ's College, Cambridge, where he studied theology, and he developed an interest in natural history and geology.

At Cambridge, Darwin read many influential thinkers, including:

• William Paley

• John Herschel

• Alexander Von Humboldt

What book did William Paley write

Natural Theology (which argued for a divine creator)

What did John Herschel write?

Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy (which described the highest aim of natural philosophy as formulating laws through inductive reasoning based on observation

What did Alexander von Humboldt write

Alexander Von Humboldt’s Personal Narrative (which inspired a desire in Darwin to see the world)

What opportunity did Darwin get in 1831?

he learned of an opportunity to journey with a British Naval vessel, the HMS Beagle through one of his Cambridge professors. A chance to live out his Alexander Von Humboldt-inspired dreams of travel and adventure!

What was the name of the Naval vessel Darwin went on?

HMS Beagle; it would be the second voyage after the disastrous first voyage

What were Darwin’s goals on his voyage?

he wanted to see the world before settling down to be a parson (pastor for a small country church).

The Second Voyage of the Beagle itenerary

• A world-wide itinerary (Australia, Africa, but mainly South America)

• Planned as a three-year assignment it, would extend to five years.

• Primarily a military expedition to survey the coast of South America but also:

  • Returning the Fuegians to their home (native South Americans)

  • Natural History investigation

  • Diplomacy

What did Darwin see first hand on his voyage?

• Native American cultures and wars against indigenous populations

• Cruelty and failure of slavery as a social system

• Immediate after-effects of earthquakes

• A great variety of living organisms

• A great variety of fossils (extinct organisms)

• Island ecosystems

Who were Darwin’s influences at this time?

• Charles Lyell (Geology)

• Thomas Malthus (Population biology)

• Jean Baptiste Lamarck (Proto-evolutionary theory)

What theory did Darwin develop?

• Darwin developed a theory about the formation of coral atolls

• Fossilized horse relative – collected by Charles Darwin during Voyage of the Beagle:

What were the personal outcomes for Darwin after the five-year voyage?

• A change in his conception of himself

• Minor celebrity status based on publication of his travel writings

• Development of a professional reputation and respect from scientific establishment in England

What did Darwin do after his voyage?

• Darwin settled down and commenced a life dedicated to the study of natural history

• He married his cousin, Emma Wedgwood and started a family (eventually having 10 children)

• Organized and published based upon his South American collections and experiences.

• Lived a quiet and retired life at home – raising children and receiving medical care for chronic health problems.

• Quietly began collecting evidence for a secret theory – which would become the theory of evolution by natural selection.

• Studied pigeons and barnacles

What did Darwin hope to gain through the study of pigeons and other domestic animals?

He hoped to understand natural selection by studying human-directed artificial selection.

Did Darwin find that these different varieties of pigeons were ultimately different breeds or different species of pigeon?

different breeds