Who is Falvin?

British naturalist, biologist, and founder of the theory of evolution. 1809-1882. Charles Darwin was born in a small town in England on February 12, 1809. As a naturalist, he participated in the British voyage around the world and conducted scientific expeditions for five years. A large number of observations and collections were made on animals, plants and geology, and after comprehensive discussions, the concept of biological evolution was formed. In 1859, "The Origin of Species" was published, which shocked the academic community at that time. The book uses a large amount of data to prove that all kinds of creatures were not created by God, but developed and changed from simple to complex, from low to high through inheritance, mutation, survival struggle and natural selection, and proposed the theory of biological evolution. theory, thereby destroying all kinds of idealistic theories of divine creation and species immutability. Engels listed the "theory of evolution" as one of the three major discoveries in natural science in the 19th century.

The three major discoveries in natural science in the 19th century and their proposers are:

1. Cell theory In the 1830s, it was proposed by the German botanist Schleiden and the zoologist Schwann.

2. The law of energy conservation and transformation can be said to be the result of research by many people. In 1842, the young German doctor J.R. Mayer (1814-1878) wrote his first paper on the law of energy conservation and transformation: "On the Forces of Inorganic Nature"; in 1847, the British brewer Joule and the German The physicist Helmholtz published his own lectures or papers on the laws of energy conservation and conversion respectively; however, Joule is considered to be the first person to establish the laws of energy conservation and conversion through scientific experiments, but Joule and Helmholtz Mayr's priority in discovering the laws of conservation and transformation of energy is also acknowledged. In 1953, William Thomson helped Joule finally complete the precise formulation of the laws of energy conservation and conversion. At this point, the law of energy conversion and energy conservation, one of the three major discoveries in natural science, has been recognized.

3. The theory of biological evolution In 1859, the British biologist Darwin published "The Origin of Species", which expounded the theory of biological evolution with the theory of natural selection as the main content, and gave foundation to creationism and species immutability. A heavy blow. This is also one of the three major discoveries in natural science in the 19th century.

The natural selection and sexual selection he proposed are universal theories in the current life sciences. In addition to biology, his theories are also important for anthropology, psychology, and philosophy.

The theory of biological evolution, or even the entire biological science, began on November 24, 1859. On that day, after twenty years of careful preparation, Darwin published On the Origin of Species. The first edition printed 1,250 copies and sold out in one day. A new discipline was born from the Origin of Species.

However, a new discipline does not just fall from the sky. In 1859, the scientific community had abundant evidence of evolution and was ready for the birth of the theory of evolution. The evolutionary evidence at this time can be summarized into animal and plant culture, fossil records, anatomical comparisons, vestigial organs, embryonic development, and biogeographical distribution.

Animal domestication and plant cultivation have a history of thousands of years, and people have known that the same species often have very different forms. These forms can be changed, and through careful selection, new varieties can be obtained. Breeds obtained through what Darwin called "artificial selection" are sometimes more different from each other than species in the wild. If we saw wolfdogs and pugs in the wild, we might think of them as two completely different species, like wolves and foxes. Animal and plant culture provides perceptual and intuitive materials for "living things are changeable".

At that time, the scientific community had already known that fossils were the remains of living organisms, and many former species no longer existed or were extinct. In other words, the composition of the biological world was not the same from ancient times to the present. Unchanging. Many species show a tendency to change gradually over geographic time in the fossil record, and fossils can sometimes be found in transitional forms between two taxa.

As a graduate of the seminary, Darwin initially doubted creationism because he saw giant tortoises that differed from island to island in the Galapagos Islands. There are as many as thirteen kinds of "Darwin's finches", and we can't help but wonder: Why did God show off his creative talents in this small corner and create so many "only one store, no other store" specifically for this place? "Special species?" A reasonable explanation is that the ancestors of these species came from other places and changed after tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of years, resulting in a variety of unique species.

In short, before Darwin, there was irrefutable evidence of biological evolution, and some scientists who dared to break through the shackles of religious beliefs began to face this fact. As early as the mid-eighteenth century, the French naturalist Buffon believed that biological species are variable and boldly speculated that all animals come from the same ancestor. He also believed that the age of the earth was much older than the thousands of years recorded in the Bible, and linked changes in biological species with changes in the earth's environment. However, under social pressure, Buffon was forced to renounce these deviant views, so it failed to have any impact.

Lamarck, another French naturalist who followed Buffon, was much more stubborn and had a much greater influence. He was the first to systematically study biological evolution. His understanding of biological evolution was different from what it is now. In his view, the biological world is a ladder ascending from the simplest and most primitive microorganisms to the most complex and advanced humans. The so-called biological evolution means the natural production of microorganisms from non-living things, and the evolution of microorganisms into lower organisms. , the process in which lower organisms evolve into higher organisms until they evolve into humans. He believes that this evolutionary process is repeated and is still going on today. In other words, today, intelligent orangutans are still trying their best to evolve into humans. Lamarck was also the first person to try to explain the phenomenon of evolution. He gave the first theory of evolution. There are two main points in this theory: first, the organism itself has an inherent desire to become more complex and evolve to a more advanced form; second, the living environment can change the morphological structure of the organism, and acquired traits can be inherited. In other words, "use it or lose it". In the famous example of the giraffe, Lamarck explained the origin of the giraffe's long neck like this: The ancestors of the giraffe often stretched their necks to eat leaves high in the trees. The necks were exercised and became longer, and this can be inherited. Therefore, the necks of their offspring will be longer than those of their parents. From generation to generation, the necks will become longer and longer.

Lamarck’s theory could not convince scientists at the time to accept the theory of evolution. There are certainly religious reasons for this, but there are also scientific doubts. For example, Lamarck's theory of evolution believed that non-living things can naturally produce microorganisms. However, although Pasteur had not yet conducted the famous experiment that denied the theory of abiogenesis, the scientific community generally believed that there was sufficient evidence to show that the theory of abiogenesis was incorrect. Therefore, although Lamarck has a great influence, he is often ridiculed and criticized as a negative teaching material. The biological world urgently needs a scientific giant like Newton who can prove the fact of biological evolution beyond doubt and give reasonable explanations. This giant is Darwin.