Darwin’s research is still vital to scientific breakthroughs being made today, and his theories are now just being refined. His research was influential in shifting opinions on where life comes from. Before, it was believed that every organism was “perfect” and created from God, but through various scientific studies from multiple biologists, geologists, and other scientists, opinions slowly swayed against some teachings of Christianity and towards the results shown from the scientific studies (the world being very, very old and every organism not being “perfect”).
It is believed that Darwin was raised within a religious family due to the fact that it was the most common at the time, and he attended Cambridge. His family was very wealthy, so he didn’t have it very difficult growing up. As an adult, he seemed to be a family man that cared deeply for his wife and all of his children. Although his wife, Emma, was his first-cousin, they had a fantastic relationship and did not want to hurt the other. The largest reason for disagreement between them was religious differences, but they were able to push through.
Darwin’s biggest contribution to the scientific community was his theory of evolution. He started to formulate his theory around 1838, and was not able to officially publish it for about another 20 years due to it going against the popular ideology of the time, and also so he could verify he was 100% correct. He went on to publish 25 total books, along with many scientific papers.
There have been various improvements to Darwin’s theory of evolution since the day it got published, and the contents of it are still widely used today in the scientific community. It is still being continuously researched and improved upon today.
I thought Dr. Anelli gave a great presentation and covered pretty much everything that needed to be covered. It was interesting to learn so much about the personal side of Darwin as opposed to the scientific side that is always presented. I’m also glad she covered some other, lesser known scientists that led up to Darwin. Overall, I was very impressed and enjoyed the presentation.
Your summary and comments are very thoughtful, Brenden. I would agree that the scientific background of Darwin, as well as his personal history, put him in a unique position to make his groundbreaking discovery. I also liked how Dr. Anelli touched on both. We hope that when we visit Down House as well as some of his other “stomping grounds” in London, this knowledge will make it easier for students to appreciate the influence he had on our current world.