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Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was
already eminent as an English naturalist when he proposed and provided evidence for
the theory that all species have evolved over time from one or a few common
ancestors through the process of natural selection.
The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific
community and the general public in his lifetime, while his theory of natural
selection came to be widely seen as the primary explanation of the process of
evolution in the 1930s, and now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory. In
modified form, Darwin's theory remains a cornerstone of biology, as it provides a
unifying explanation for the diversity of life.
Darwin developed his interest in natural history at Edinburgh University while
studying first medicine, then theology. His five-year voyage on the Beagle
established him as a geologist whose observations and theories supported Charles
Lyell's uniformitarian ideas, and publication of his journal of the voyage made him
famous as a popular author.
Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he
collected on the voyage, Darwin investigated the transmutation of species and
conceived his theory of natural selection in 1838. Having seen others attacked as
heretics for such ideas, he confided only in his closest friends and continued his
extensive research to meet anticipated objections.
In 1858, Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay describing a
similar theory, causing the two to publish their theories early in a joint
publication.
His 1859 book On the Origin of Species established evolution by common descent as
the dominant scientific explanation of diversification in nature. He examined human
evolution and sexual selection in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to
Sex, followed by The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. His research on
plants was published in a series of books, and in his final book, he examined
earthworms and their effect on soil.
In recognition of Darwin's pre-eminence, he was buried in Westminster Abbey, close
to John Herschel and Isaac Newton.
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