The theory of evolution is the theory that everything has evolved from a common ancestor. Charles Darwin is often credited with the discovery of the theory of evolution but though he was the first person to gather all the information together, other people contributed greatly to his research.
Charles Darwin and his Contribution to the Theory of Evolution
Charles Darwin first began developing his theory after his around the world voyage on a scientific research vehicle named the HMS Beagle. On this voyage he saw similarities between fossilised animals and modern day animals. On Galapagos Island he saw the finches on the island were like the finches of the mainland. However each group of finches had developed adaptations that helped them survive in the new environment. Observing these finches gave Darwin the seeds of the idea that would later become the Theory of Evolution.
Other People Who Contributed to the Theory of Evolution
• Erasmus Darwin, Charles Darwin’s grandfather, proposed many of Charles Darwin’s theories in his own writings. These writings included the thoughts that life came from the sea and that the human race shared ancestors in common with the other animals. He also wrote about the influence of geographical time, competition and the effect of the environment in the process of evolution of a species.
• Jean-Baptiste Lamark was the first person to put forward a theory about how and why animals adapted and changed. His theory has become known as the use-disuse theory and it states that it is the environment an animal lives in, that is an incentive for change. The theory states that animals develop traits in their lifetimes for survival and these traits are then passed on to their children. In modern times we now know that this is genetically impossible but Lamark was correct in that environment does play a role in the process of evolution and his research was a stepping stone for scientists to improve upon.
• Thomas Malthus, in An Essay on the Principal of Population stated that populations are limited in growth by the food sources available and the competition for those sources that are vital for survival. Darwin recognised competition as another important piece of the evolution of mankind.
• Alfred Russel Wallace was born in 1823. He was approaching the same theories as Darwin in his own research at the same time period. In 1855 Wallace published his theories that all species had a common ancestor and that evolution was influenced by the environment. It was the thought of Wallace gaining credit for the theory that contributed to Charles Darwin publishing his On the Origin of the Species in 1859.
Source
Jurmain.R, Kilgore.L, Trevathan.W, 2009, Essentials of Physical Anthropology, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
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