Charles Robert Darwin - February 12, 1809 - April 19, 1882 (Aged 73) Darwin is buried at Westminster Abbey near Sir Isaac Newton. It is a high honor to be buried at Westminster Abbey.

Darwin is best known for his theory of natural selection that explains how evolution works. In other words, natural selection is the mechanism in which species change over time. He is famous internationally and is often described as one of the most influential scientists of all time.

Darwin was the 5th of 6 children in his family. His father was a doctor and an investor. His family was wealthy.
As a child and in to his teenage years, Charles Darwin was immensely interested in natural sciences. He was a collector of animals and enjoyed exploration of the outdoors. His father intended him to be a doctor. Darwin graduated from the University of Cambridge and then went on to medical school. He found the medical lectures to be boring and was bothered by surgeries. Charles continued to pursue natural sciences and ignored his medical studies. This annoyed his father.

Charles Darwin was recommended to join the HMS Beagle on a survey mission to South America. The voyage was planned to last 2 years. His father objected but Charles' uncle convinced his dad to agree to the trip and pay for it.

On his return Darwin wrote about his experiences and became a famous author for his stories about the trip.

He married his first cousin, Emma. Together they had 10 children (3 of them died at an early age).

He kept secret notebooks containing his evidence and ideas for his new theory which he called natural selection. Darwin would not publish these findings for nearly 20 years.

He published his book, "On the Origin of Species" in 1859. It became a revolutionary breakthrough in science and a was best seller for decades. Darwin continued writing and publishing further works throughout the rest of his life.

Read above to see how Charles Darwin ends up on this epic voyage around the world.

The HMS Beagle (HMS - Her Majesty's Ship) set sail from England on December 27, 1831. It was captained by Robert FitzRoy. Darwin was to serve as a companion and as a naturalist on the ship's survey mission that was expected to last just 2 years although it took nearly 5 years. Charles Darwin was 22 years old when voyage began.
The voyage had a mission to survey coastal areas of South America though it would eventually circumnavigate the globe. Unfortunately, Charles Darwin never adjusted to life at sea and was constantly sea sick. Because of this, Darwin tried to spend as much time on land as possible.

The Beagle spent their first two years on the east coast of South America. There, Darwin explored rainforests for the first time. The rainforests fascinated the young naturalist and increased his interest in species.

During his time exploring and collecting specimens along the South American coast, Darwin also looked for fossils. He uncovered several large fossils including megatherium (an extinct ground sloth the size of an elephant) and glyptodon (looks like a huge armadillo the size of a Smart car).
On one excursion, Charles Darwin hired guides to take him further inland. These guides were Argentinian gauchos (cowbows). Darwin enjoyed their lifestyle and learned much from them about the animals and plants that lived in their environment. Darwin was fascinated with two species of rhea (a large flightless bird similar to an ostrich) that seem to replace each other over a region of southern South America.
After surveying much of the east coast of South America, the HMS Beagle made it rounding the treacherous waters of the southern tip. Darwin explored the Andes mountains where he found fossils of seashells atop mountains 100 miles inland. He also experienced a major earthquake that leveled nearby villages. Darwin observed the land being upraised, caused by the earthquake. He understood that small changes in the earth over vast amounts of times caused the sea shells to be lifted high in the mountains.

After spending some time on the western coast of South America, the HMS Beagle headed to the Galapagos Islands. While the HMS Beagle only spent 5 weeks here, Darwin collected a number of specimens and made observations that would later become textbook examples of his theory. Species he observed here included finches, mockingbirds, and tortoises.

BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE: When structures like beak shape are compared, this is biological evidence supporting evolution. Darwin compared beak shapes of finches. This gave Darwin evidence to show that they had a common ancestor. He observed the same pattern in the mockingbirds. The tortoises had similar structures suited to their environments as well.

Another set of biological evidence is vestigial organs. For example, in the movie we watched, Darwin observed 3 birds that had wing functions other than flight. The Steamer used its wings as paddles, the penguins as fins, and the rheas as sails. This is biological evidence supporting the use of wings for these species has changed over time.

Leaving the Galapagos Islands, the Beagle headed to the South Pacific. There, Darwin observed strange rings of coral with calm water on the inside. Today, these are called coral atolls. Darwin was intrigued and proposed a hypothesis how they were formed. After visiting the volcanic islands of Tahiti and Morea, Darwin believed these atolls were once volcanic islands.
The volcano had long went extinct and over an immense amount of time had sunken and eroded away. This proves again that Darwin had remarkable ability to see changes over vast amounts of time.

Leaving the South Pacific, the HMS Beagle also stopped in Australia where Darwin noted how unusual the marsupial kangaroos and platypus were.

Continuing on the way home, the Beagle stopped in South Africa where the captain and Darwin met up with John Herschel, a famous English scientist at that time. Darwin particularly enjoyed the visit and was influenced by Herschel's work and discussion. Some of Darwin's writings refer to Herschel's description of the origin of species as the "mystery of mysteries".

On the return home, Darwin spent much time examining his specimens and reflecting on his notes and observations. He is convinced that species change over time and upon his return will begin a "systematic inquiry" to try to figure out HOW it happens.

The HMS Beagle returns to England on October 2, 1836. At this time, Darwin is 27 years old.
Darwin has a number of specimens and observations he used as evidence for his theory of natural selection.

BEFORE the HMS Beagle leaves England, Captain FitzRoy gives Darwin a copy of a book that has a major impact on his thinking, Principles of Geology by Charles Lyell. In the book, Lyell explains that landforms (such as mountains, valleys, and seashores) are the result of small gradual changes over vast amounts of time. Charles Darwin will adopt this idea in his observations and apply it to all life.
While in South America, Darwin uncovered fossil evidence to support his theory. One fossil Darwin found was glyptodon. The fossil showed a striking resemblance to the armadillo. Darwin hypothesized that glyptodon is an ancestral cousin to the armadillo.
Another fossil that Darwin uncovered was megatherium, a large extinct ground sloth. Darwin observed tree sloths in South America. He hypothesized that the extinct megatherium and the modern day tree sloth are related.
While in South America, Darwin observed several birds that used their wings for other uses than flight. The penguin uses its wings for swimming, the rhea uses them as sails, and the steamer as paddles. Darwin noted that flightless birds are evidence to show that species change over time. (Steamer is pictured below.) Later, Darwin recognized that their wings were vestigial organs. Darwin theorized these birds had ancestors that used their wings for flight but over time, the function of their wings had changed.

In South America, Darwin spent some time with a group of gauchos (cowboys) in Argentina. While there he saw an ostrich-like bird called the Rhea. There are two species of the rhea that replace themselves over a region. There is a larger rhea that lives in the north. As you travel south, the larger rhea disappears and a smaller one survives, the Lesser Rhea (also known today as Darwin's Rhea). Darwin uses this as evidence to show that these two species had a common ancestor but have changed over time to adapt to the environment of their range.

While in Chile, Darwin and his ship mates experience a major earthquake. Darwin observes that it leveled nearby villages and more importantly notes that large portions of land had been upraised. This gives Darwin a first count experience to understand that small changes over time can bring about great transformations in the landscape.

Darwin travels through the Andes mountains bordering Chile and Argentina. He was 100 miles inland and high up in the mountains where, to his surprise, he finds fossils of seashells. Darwin hypothesizes that these rock layers must have been part of the sea in earth's past. Understanding that the earth changes over vast amounts of time allows Darwin to apply this same idea to life. Pictured below is one of the shelters Darwin stayed in during his explorations in the Andes mountains.
Some of Darwin's most popular evidence comes from the Galapagos Islands. The HMS Beagle spends only 5 weeks in the Galapagos but the evidence that Darwin finds there later becomes textbook examples for his theory of natural selection.

One of the most famous group of species used as evidence for Darwin's theory of natural selection are the Galapagos finches. Darwin theorizes the islands were colonized by a finch species from mainland South America. Over time, the finches evolved based on the food type available on each of the islands. Some beaks changed to be better adapted to eat insects while others to be better suited in collecting seeds.
Another group of species Darwin used as evidence were the Galapagos mockingbirds. Similar to the finches, Darwin discovered that there were separate species of mockingbirds inhabiting each of the islands. The mockingbirds also had noticeable differences in their beak shapes providing another strong piece of evidence that mockingbird populations on each of the islands evolved their beak shape to be better suited for the food type available.
After Charles Darwin returned home to England he began to inquire HOW species change over time. One day Darwin was reading an essay by Thomas Malthus that sparked his greatest idea. Thomas Malthus explained that if human populations were to grow unchecked (no wars, no diseases), it would experience great growth until there was not enough food. Malthus argued that once food supplies would run out, humans would fight for survival. The strong and smart ones would figure out a way to survive while the weak would simply perish. Darwin recognized that all life works in a similar way and used this idea to develop his theory. Darwin called his theory natural selection, the survival of the fittest.
Our textbook definition for natural selection: The process through which members of a species that are best suited to their environment survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other members of a species.
Our textbook outlines 4 key principles of natural selection: Overproduction, Variation, Adaptation, and Selection.

Overproduction - In nature, organisms typically produce more offspring than the environment can support.

Variation - The offspring will be different genetically than their parents. In the population, there will be a large variety of traits.

Adaptation - Some traits can provide a benefit to survival or reproduction. Having a benefit enables an organism to have a better chance at survival and/or reproduction.

Selection - Individual organisms go through a struggle to survive and reproduce. There are a number of environmental factors (or limiting factors) such as food supply, disease, habitat, space, pollution, predators, weather, and more that make it difficult to survive. The individuals that do survive are able to pass down their genes to the next generation.

Sample Script

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Intro – Create an exciting video introduction.

Welcome to The Greatest Scientific Breakthroughs with Mr. G. Today, on The Greatest Scientific Breakthroughs, we travel back to the 1800s to learn how a young naturalist, Charles Darwin, traveled around the world to assemble a number of observations and evidence to formulate his theory of natural selection.

Category 1 - Who was he?  What did he do? What book did he write? Why was he famous? Use terms evolution, natural selection

(Slide 1) Charles Darwin was a British naturalist who was the first person to develop a reasonable explanation for evolution, that is, how species change over time.  Darwin called his great idea, natural selection.

(Slide 2) At a young age, Darwin had the opportunity to sail around the world. The long journey allowed him to collect evidence and explore scientific ideas about the natural world. 

(Slide 3) After this voyage, Darwin spent nearly 20 years compiling evidence and developing his theory. In 1859, Charles Darwin finally published his book, On The Origin of Species, and revealed his greatest idea to the scientific world. (This is about 30 seconds of recorded voice.)

Category 2 – When was the voyage? Where did it go? What was the purpose? Why was this trip important? Use terms biological evidence

(Slide 4) Charles Darwin boarded a navy ship, the HMS Beagle, in December of 1831. The Beagle’s mission was to survey and chart the coastlines of South America. It was expected to be a two year journey but lasted nearly 5 years. 

(Slide 5) Unfortunately for Darwin, he experienced intense sea sickness during the journey. As a result, he spent as much time as possible on land. Darwin was able to explore large portions of continental South America as well as other stops across the world including the Galapagos Islands, islands and atolls of the South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, and Africa.

(Slide 6) Over the nearly five years of the Beagle’s voyage, Charles Darwin gained a global perspective of nature. He took copious notes and collected numerous specimens including plants, animals, and fossils. These notes and specimens later became key fossil and biological evidence to support his theory of natural selection. (This is about 50 seconds of recorded voice.)

Category 3 – Describe several pieces of Darwin’s evidence. Use terms fossil evidence, genetic variation, vestigial organs, limiting factors, ancestor

(Slide 7) As the HMS Beagle traveled home, Darwin studied his collection of notes and specimens. These accounts convinced him that species change over time. One fossil he collected on the east coast of South America was glyptodon.  Darwin identified the fossil as a large form of an extinct armadillo. He theorized that glyptodon was the ancestor to the modern day armadillo.  This supported his idea that species change over time.

Another piece of fossil evidence Darwin discovered was megatherium. He was fascinated that this large fossil resembled the tree dwelling sloth he observed inhabiting the same region. Darwin pondered the idea that the extinct megatherium evolved into the modern day sloth over a large amount of time.

(Slide 8) Classic examples of Darwin’s evidence are the finches and mockingbirds he collected in the Galapagos Islands. Darwin observed that each of the finches and mockingbirds had different shaped beaks on the different islands they inhabited that were suited to the specific food types available. These specimens became evidence to show that a trait such as beak shape gave an advantage to survival in an environment with a limiting factor of food availability. 

(Slide 9) When Darwin was in the southern region of South America, he was able to observe two types of Rhea, an ostrich-like flightless bird. Darwin recognized that the ability to fly was vestigial. In other words, the rhea’s ancestors had the ability to fly but the wing structure has lost this function over time.  Darwin observed other vestigial organs and structures in other species as well. Another example was the vestigial leg structures in whale fossils.

Last, Darwin began to understand how evolution of species takes place as he observed the genetic variation of organisms. When members of a species reproduce, Darwin observed that the offspring are not exact copies of their parents. Offspring can inherit slight changes to their genetic makeup causing mutations that can either support or hinder their ability to survive and reproduce. Darwin identified that this is part of the mechanism that allows species to change over time. (This is about 100 seconds of recorded voice.)

Category 4 – Describe the theory of natural selection.  Describe Darwin’s ideas of “survival of the fittest”. Use terms adaptation, environmental factors, speciation, natural selection, theory, limiting factor, population.

(Slide 10) From his observations and insight, Charles Darwin developed his theory of natural selection. This theory has four key principles. The first principle, Overproduction, explains that organisms tend to produce more offspring than the environment can support.

Second, Genetic Variation, states that offspring produced through sexual reproduction do not receive the same exact genes as their parents. This leads to a variety of changes in each generation.

(Slide 11) Third, Adaptation, gives some members of a population a survival and reproduction advantage over others of the same species. The variations of offspring can have traits that either increase or decrease chances of survival.

Fourth, Selection, is all about survival and reproduction of an organism.  Environmental factors are conditions that affect survival.  Factors such as food supply, predators, climate, and habitat create a struggle for an organism to survive. 

(Slide 12) Darwin explained that the members of a population with the best traits have a better chance at survival and reproduction. Darwin called this, “survival of the fittest.” The capacity to overcome limiting factors and being able to reproduce allows organisms to pass beneficial traits to the next generation. Over time and numerous generations later, a population can experience so many changes that it becomes a new species. This process is called speciation. (This is about 60 seconds of recorded voice.)

Sign-off – Create an exciting conclusion and sign-off.

Darwin’s mechanism for evolution establishes a unifying theory for all life and explains the diversity of organisms on Earth. Until next time on The Greatest Scientific Breakthroughs, I’m Mr. G and I want to thank you for watching.

If this outline became a script, it would create a video that is about 5 minutes in length.

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