Darwin's Theory of Evolution - Research Paper Example

Charles Darwin Since time immemorial, scientists have been contemplating the idea that some form of evolution led to the emergence of living things across the world. Nevertheless, they lacked leadership or a universal theory to explain the dynamics of evolution (“Bio Web” 1). For many years, philosophers argued that due to the incredible complexity of nature, a supernatural being / creator must have been the creator of life (“Truth Reality” 1). However, Jean Lamarck who was a biologists and Charles Darwin made significant efforts in trying to explain the evolution of life (“Understanding Evolution” 1). Nevertheless, Charles Darwin’s theory of Evolution is the most controversial and popular theory of evolution. Ideally, the Darwin's Theory of Evolution asserts that there is a close relationship between all lives and that all life came from the same ancestor (“Science” 1). The theory conflicted with religious, political, and social views where some people only gradually accepted his views (“BBC” 1). However, most scientists relate to this theory and most people can now identify with his views. As such, the explanation of Charles Darwin was very fundamental in explaining the existence of life from natural selection (“Truth Reality” 1). I therefore claim that Darwin's Theory of Evolution is the most clear and relevant theory of evolution to date. Born to a moderately wealthy family in Shrewsbury, England in 1809, Charles Darwin had no interest for school but focused on observing birds and collecting insects to study (O'Neil 1). Notably, Darwin’s father had immense knowledge on medicine and hence he directed Darwin to study medicine in Edinburgh while he was at 16 years old (“Bio Web” 1). Nevertheless, Darwin showed little interest on medicine and preferred attending natural history lectures. As a result, his father suggested that Darwin change his career to a clergy (“Bio Web” 1). Although he agreed to join university at Cambridge for this study, Darwin did not value his time in academics (O'Neil 1). Nevertheless, the teachings of Robert Grant, a professor of anatomy enriched Darwin’s knowledge of natural history (O'Neil 1). Moreover, John S. Henslow, a professor of botany encouraged Darwin to study natural history (“Bio Web” 1). This background and his 5 weeks long visit to the Galapagos Islands propagated the natural selection theory. Notably, the Galapagos Islands had unique species and Darwin was amazed that the birds at Galapagos Islands were somehow different from those found in other islands. As such, Darwin and an ornithologist associate collected and identified 13 species from Galapagos Islands upon their return to England (O'Neil 1). He observed that the birds had different beak size and shape and that the variations related to diets based on different foods (O'Neil 1). As a result, Darwin concluded that upon reaching the Galapagos Islands from South American, the finches dispersed to different environments where they had to adapt to different conditions (O'Neil 1). He confirmed that the beak varieties gave the birds an advantage to adapt in the new environment, reproduce, and pass their traits to the next generation through a natural process. More so, the passed traits became prominent and the birds with these traits established a defined population. As such, it is clear that nature selected the best-suited varieties to survive and to reproduce though the natural selection process as defined by Darwin (O'Neil 1). In this context, Darwin was more relevant and more correct compared to other scientists as Lamarck who incorrectly asserted that the environment altered the shape of individuals and that future generation inherited the acquired changes (O'Neil 1). Indeed, Darwin was correct in deriving that the variation in beak varieties was in existence and that nature just selected for the most suitable beak shape and against less useful ones in a process called the "survival of the fittest (O'Neil 1).” By the term, "survival of the fittest” Darwin was adopting the evolutionary perspective to relevantly refer to the species with a combination of traits that can help them to survive in a defined habitat and produce more offspring that will equally survive and reproduce in the same habitat. Generally, this explanation is relevant in that no species can survive in a given habitat if does not possess the survival traits. Nevertheless, just like any other theory, there were critics to the Darwin’s evolution theory where the critics claimed that Darwin misinterpreted the Galapagos finch data and hence his explanation was faulty (O'Neil 1). According to the critics who were mostly Christians, God created the 13 different species and no evolution has changed the original beak shape or size (O'Neil 1). Notably, at the time, Darwin did not have any scientific proof to refute the argument of the critics. Nevertheless, this claim attracted numerous scientific researches, which consequently confirmed that Darwin was indeed correct in interpreting the Galapagos finch data (O'Neil 1). This confirms the relevance and authenticity of the Darwin’s evolution theory. Moreover, the contributions of Malthus, English clergyman and pioneer economist, strengthened Darwin’s view of evolution as a natural selection process (O'Neil 1). According to Malthus' article, Darwin established that different species have the same potential to increase rapidly unless a constant check limits their potential to increase (O'Neil 1). In understanding the natural selection process, Darwin introduced plant and animal populations as species with equal potential to increase rapidly and predators, diseases, and limitations in food, water, and other resources that are essential for survival as possible limiting factors to rapid increase (O'Neil 1). In relation to evolution, Darwin asserted that the best-suited individuals in a population have a lower likelihood to die from starvation or other limiting factors. As such, the best-suited species will survive and pass their traits to future generations. This aspect helps us to understand the natural selection process and attracted many scientists to Darwin’s idea. This adds to the prominence and relevance of the Darwin’s evolution theory. The relevance and the prominence of the Darwin’s evolution theory are also clear where many scientists refer to it and the discovery of an evolution resulting from natural selection. Indeed, the discovery of the "peppered" moths living near English industrial cities confirmed the application of the theory (O'Neil 1). Notably, the "peppered" moths adopt various varieties that vary in terms of wings and body coloration where some are light while others are dark (O'Neil 1). In the 19th century, the natural selection process applied in the survival of the peppered" moths living on the trees with a dark bark courses of the death of the lichen on trees due to the sooty smoke from coal burning furnaces (O'Neil 1). Ideally, when the moths landed on the darkened trees, birds could not spot the dark colored moths with ease and hence the dark moths lived long to reproduce since the birds did not eat them. As a result, the environment favored the darker moths for a long time making them dominant in England. Nevertheless, the situation changed in the 1950's when the air pollution controls reduced the amount of heavy particulate air pollutants reaching the trees, buildings, and other objects in the environment (O'Neil 1). This enhanced the re-emergence of the lichen on trees, which made the trees lighter in color. As a result, the dark moths were now more visible to the birds than the lighter ones since the natural selection favored the lighter moths (O'Neil 1). This led to the prominence of the lighter moths in England. Most assuredly, various field studies documented this trend and developed more trust on the Darwin’s evolution theory (O'Neil 1). Furthermore, Alfred Wallace, a younger British naturalist who was working also confided in the same explanation for evolution (O'Neil 1). This surprised Darwin in that his views were seemingly acceptable in both the young and old generation of scientists and naturalists. This confirms the relevance and prominence of Darwin’s theory. In addition, Darwin described the natural selection process in details and gave significant examples to support his views. Indeed, his works on the Origin of Species (“BBC” 1) convinced most scientists and other educated people in the late 19th century that life forms do change through time (O'Neil 1). Nevertheless, the Darwin’s evidence on the occurrence of evolution threatened many Christians who believed that God created all humans in a special way and that no evolution has changed the biological nature of men since their creation (O'Neil 1). However, Charles Lyell's geological evidence on the presence of fossil record of past evolution and that the earth have been existing for many years convinced more educated lay people in the 1860's that evolution is real (O'Neil 1). Indeed, Charles Lyell's geological evidence made the public consider the existence of earlier human species. Indeed, unlike the Christians, mainstream scientists have no controversy evolution as Darwin supports his assertions with reasonable examples of changes in various species leading to the diversity of life seen today (Than 1). In fact, a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including paleontology, geology, genetics, and developmental biology supports the Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection making it the best substantiated theories in the history of science (O'Neil 1). This adds to the relevance and prominence of the theory as asserted in the thesis statement. Moreover, unlike Jean-Baptiste Lamarck’s theory, that makes unrealistic claims that, any feature of an organism that improves through use passes to its offspring (“Understanding Evolution” 1), Darwin makes reasonable arguments and can account for the continued presence of simple organisms. In fact, other scientists like Lamarck cannot substantiate all the observations they made about life on Earth (“BBC” 1). On the other hand, biologists support the Darwin’s theory through the aspect of mutations. Notably, the physical and behavioral changes (mutations) that make natural selection possible happen at the level of DNA and genes and seek to adapt the species to the rapidly changing environment (Than 1). If a mutation is beneficial, it may pass to the future generation and spread throughout the population (“Science” 1), which leads to the assumption that natural selection guides the evolutionary process (Than 1). Ultimately, Darwin carried out detailed and relevant research to support the idea that evolution which led to the acceptance of his idea among scientists and the public. Ideally, his efforts bore substantial fruits as the Darwin’s evolution theory is now beyond reproach. Works Cited “BBC.” Theories of evolution. 2013. Web. 10 December 2013. “Bio Web.” Darwin's Theory of Evolution. 2012. Web. 10 December 2013. < http://bioweb.cs.earlham.edu/9-12/evolution/HTML/theory.html> “Science.” Darwin's Theory of Evolution. 2013. Web. 10 December 2013. < http://www.darwins-theory-of-evolution.com/> “Truth Reality.” The Theory of Evolution Charles Darwin. 2012. Web. 10 December 2013. < http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Charles-Darwin-Theory-Evolution.htm> “Understanding Evolution.” Early Concepts of Evolution: Jean Baptiste Lamarck. 2013. Web. 10 December 2013. O'Neil, Dennis. Darwin and Natural Selection. 2013. Web. 10 December 2013. < http://anthro.palomar.edu/evolve/evolve_2.htm> Than, Ker. What is Darwin's Theory of Evolution? 7 December 2012. Web. 10 December 2013. < http://www.livescience.com/474-controversy-evolution-works.html> Read More