Darwinian Revolution Research Paper

Rachel Rosenfeld

Ackerman

7:30

The Darwinian Revolution The Theory of Evolution is arguably one of the most influential and impactful ideas humankind has ever had. A passionate, amateur naturalist, by the name of Charles Darwin, theorized that the evolutionary process occurred through natural selection. This idea forms the basis for many modern day ideas and has drastically affected scientific and religious philosophies. Darwin, unlike any other scientist before him, sought to explain the design of organism and their contrivances with evidence. He proposes that the design of organisms as they exist in nature is not a miracle design imposed by God as a Supreme Engineer or by humans; rather, it is the result of a natural process of selection,

Darwin suffered terribly from seasickness for the next five years, often eating only raisins and dry biscuits and resting for hours in his cabin. Eventually he began to spend longer periods on shore when the Beagle docked at various ports to collect natural specimens. Throughout the five-year voyage, Darwin recorded his observations in a journal and collected a vast amount of specimens. One of the most famous discoveries from Darwin was from his trip to the Galápagos Islands. He found 14 different types of finches, each with a slight difference in structure even though the all the birds were so closely related. This is where he first comes across the idea of an original bird that has been taken and modified for different ends. Darwin’s finches are the classic example of adaptive radiation, whereby one species gives rise to multiple species that occupy different niches. The fourteen species from the Galápagos Islands can be divided into tree finches, which are primarily insect eaters, and ground finches, which mostly feed on seeds. Beak size is an indicator of the size of seeds or insects that are

Darwin used the evidence found by other scientists, like Hutton and Lyell, to formulate his own conclusions. Wherever there is function or design, we look for its author. It was Darwin’s greatest accomplishment to show that the complex organization and functionality of living beings can be explained as the result of a natural process – natural selection – without any need to resort to a Creator or other external agent. The origin and adaptation of organisms in their abundance and variations were thus brought into the realm of science. By doing so, Darwin has influenced Science in such a way that many of the changes he has made, contribute to modern day science. Doctors now consider antibiotic resistances when prescribing drugs because of variation in strains. Also, this has lead to the better treatment of animals. Traditionally, it was thought that animals were only on the earth for the sake of the humans and animals were seen as property. Now, we can recognize that we are much closer to animals and we are more compassionate towards them. This also has influenced the interest in primates who share similar genes with us. Without Darwin's Theory of Evolution, there would be much less development in technology and