What did Charles Darwin do in his entire life?

What did Charles Darwin do in his life?

• Answer:

  Briefly(!), Darwin's life was dominated by two events; his voyage around the world on the Beagle and the publication of the Origin of the Species. During the voyage on the Beagle, Darwin was able to see for himself the effects of small changes over long periods of time. For example, there was an earthquake whilst he was in South America and the land rose by a few feet. He also found fossil seashells on the peaks of the Andes. He realised that over millions of years with thousands of earthquakes, what was once under the sea will, eventually become mountains. His key idea was to apply this kind of insight to how life developed over long periods of time. This was made clear for him during his visit to the Galapados islands which, he realised, were formed relatively recently and that life arrived on "rafts" of vegetation from the Amazon or by air. Limited environments, such as islands, have produced giants (as with the tortoises), flightless birds, marine lizards and specialised adaptions as with Darwin's finches' beaks. It was asking the question, "How did a single finch species become several specialised species?" that led to the theory of evolution. The theory was published in The Origin of the Species. The book is a beautifully written, well argued logical argument with a wealth of evidence that could be tested by other workers. The book was a Victorian bestseller and Darwin became one of the most well-known scientists of his age. Darwin was not formally trained in Natural History; his degree was in theology. So to prove his credentials he spent a number of years studying whelks, become an authority on them. He also became an expert on earthworms, explaining how soil was moved by them.