Science, Technology & Society - On the Origin of Species

Scientific Revolution – Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin came from what kind III. PERSONAL DETAILS

of Family?
 A naturalist who is well known
- Family of Scientists in the development of evolution
in explaining biological change.
I. BIRTH AND FAMILY

 Born on February 12, 1809 in  Charles Darwin proposed then

Shrewsbury, England. married to his first cousin,
Emma Wedgewood on January 29,
1839 and had ten (10) children
 Second to the youngest child of
where three (3) of them died in
the wealthy and influential
childhood.
family of scientists whose
father is Robert Waring Darwin,
a medical doctor who also  He was awarded a Copley Medal,
desired Darwin to follow his the greatest honor in science.
footsteps in becoming a medical
doctor. Thus, his mother Susana  Darwin began to suffer from
died when he was on the early chronic illnesses which occurred
childhood age of 8. after returning from his trip
around the world. Having
contracted Chagas disease, a
parasitic illness which resulted
What position was offered to Darwin in cardiac damage and caused
after completing his Bachelor of Darwin’s death on April 19, 1882
Arts degree? at his country house.
- Naturalists
 He was buried at Westminster
II. EDUCATION Abbey, London

 In 1825, Darwin enrolled at

University of Edinburgh to study
medicine but also left after 2 What was Darwin’s religious view
years as the sight of blood made before he dwelled on his research?
him queasy. - Christian

 Then, transferred to Cambridge IV. RELIGIOUS VIEWS

University wherein after
completing his Bachelor of Arts  Darwin argued, “how had this
degree in 5 years he was offered come about? Could this
a position of being a naturalist extraordinary variety really be
in HMS Beagle. Whereby, this explained by the idea that God
voyage proved an opportunity to had created all the species on
Darwin who’s inclined in the Earth in six days?”
study of natural history.
 He worked on these questions
over the years and have
concluded that offspring from a
What is the title of Darwin’s book
species resembled their parents
that was published on Nov. 24 1859,
but also varied from them.
and is the foundation of
evolutionary biology?
 His theory offended many for it collect and observe specimens of
meant that there was no need for plants, animals, rocks, and
a creator-God and it placed fossils when the ship went
mankind firmly within the animal ashore.
kingdom.

 Though he was probably an

agnostic, he was always polite
to and about religious
Darwin made many observations during
believers.
the voyage that helped him formulate
his Theory of Evolution such as:

What is the second book of Charles

Darwin that speaks up about his
 Exploring plants and animals
views and opinions to human society?
he had never seen before in
- The Descent Man different tropical rainforests
and other new habitats, thus
V. HUMAN SOCIETY impressed him with the great
diversity of life;
 On Darwin’s second book, The
Descent of Man, he then stated  Experiencing an earthquake
that that elevated the ocean floor
2.7 meters (9 feet) above sea
“Ultimately a highly complex
level wherein he also found
sentiment, having its first
rocks containing fossil sea
origin in the social instincts,
shells in mountains high above
largely guided by the
sea level, hence suggesting
approbation of our fellow men,
that oceans and continents had
ruled by reason, self-interest,
intensely reformed over time
and in later times by deep
and still continue to change
religious feelings, confirmed by
in drastic ways;
instruction and habit, all
combined, constitute our moral
sense or conscience,”  Visiting rock ledges that had
once been beaches that had
as he observed social feelings gradually built over time
in animals and assumed that it which implied that slow and
could be a natural and steady processes also change
instinctive in humans, putting the Earth’s surface;
forward the idea that morality
existed before religion.  Digging up fossils of gigantic
extinct animals like ground
sloth which served as proof
that organisms looked very
It is the island where Darwin’s most
different in the past and
important observations were made on.
suggested that living things
- Galapagos Islands also change over time.

VI. THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE

 In 1831, Charles Darwin was just  Darwin’s most important

22 years old when he set sail on observations were made on
a circumnavigation of the globe Galapagos Islands.
on a ship called HMS Beagle.
 He observed different birds and
 He was the naturalist on the animals that had evolved in
expedition and it was his job to various environments which led
 him to form the theory of
natural selection.

 The theory states that

variations within species occur
randomly and the adaptability of
an organism determines its
survival or extinction.

 Alfred Russell Wallace, another Coral Glitching

young naturalist in that time,
had independently come to - Whitening or fading of the
similar conclusions about colors of corals.
evolution and natural selection. - One of the problems in
ecosystem.
- However, that doesn’t mean
that the coral is already
Darwin proposed a theory about coral
dead, it could recover and
reefs formation that encircles a
not if the discoloration
lagoon called
is continuous.
- Atolls

VII. FORMATION OF CORAL REEFS AND

ATOLLS

 During the voyage, Darwin also

made significant observations
about the geology of the islands
and coastlines he visited and
proposed a theory about the
Formation of Atolls.

 Atolls, sometimes called coral

atolls, are coral reefs
formations that encircle a
lagoon. They are mostly found in A lagoon would then open
the Pacific and the Bikini Atoll between the island and the reef when
located in the northwest of the island began to sink, thus
Hawaii is an example. forming a barrier reef. Then, the

 According to Darwin, a fringing Lagoon

reef would form from corals
growing along the edges of a - Body of water in between
newly formed volcanic island or of sinking island and
close to the shoreline. coral reef.
- Classified as estuary
The reason behind why Corals water also known Brackish
found at that location because it Water, water with average
has symbiotic relationship with a or moderate salinity
plant-like organism called algae. content meaning the salt
water is diluted by fresh
Coral is an invertebrate animal water.
but it has mutualistic and
symbiotic relationship with an
algae.
 Coral reef served as a barrier
reef or block but not totally
enclosed
Zooxanthellae
 Inlet – a small entrance for
- A plant-like organism, it salt water to connect to the
can photosynthesize, lagoon.
island would eventually disappear,
leaving an atoll.

1. Geospiza Magnirostri
2. Geospiza Parvula
3. Geospiza Fortis
4. Certhidea Olivasea
To give sustenance to the
theory, Darwin explored and found
dead corals on the lagoon bottoms The structure or shape of the
below 120-foot limit. This finding beaks of finches depends on the
was inferred to confirm his island or environment because it
proposition about the subduction of needed to adapt to the available
sea bed around volcanic islands. food or resources from the
environment or places, they live
in.
How does Atolls are formed?
> Structural Adaptation
Atolls are circular formation
encircle in the lagoon. Central
lagoon surrounded by a coral
reef. It is formed by starting in
fringing reef where corals grow “Multiply, vary, let the strongest
along the edge of a newly formed survive and the weakest die”
volcanic island. Then there will
be a barrier reef where an island
sinks or starts sinking in which
create a lagoon between island
and reef. Then the development of
Atoll formation if the volcanic
island sunk and disappeared. It
will take time upon creating a
huge coral reformation.z

What species (it displayed different

structural adaptations such as its
different-shaped beaks) does Darwin
found on the Galapagos Island?
- Finches
VIII. ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES
Charles Darwin is often cited as the
greatest biologist in history.
DARWIN AND THE FIT
 Charles Darwin published On the
Origin of Species which included
the oft misquoted line 'survival
of the fit.' Fit, not fittest,
was originally written.
 The idea here was that one
merely needed to be fit enough
 to reproduce to pass on its
genetics in the form of a new  Social Darwinism is the
generation. application of one
interpretation of the law of
evolution; those who succeed in
SPENCER AND THE FITTEST society were superior to those
who did not succeed.
 Herbert Spencer was a 19th-
century philosopher and social
idealist. Born on April 27, 1820 The theory that can be described as
and died on December 8, 1903. “descent with modification” and one
of the substantiated in the history
 He was known to be a strong of science.
supporter of Darwin's methods of
evolution and a supporter of the - Evolution by Natural
evolutionary process. Selection

IX. EVOLUTION
 Herbert Spencer's works modified
the line, making it 'survival of  Described as “descent with
the fittest.' This idea and modification”.
quote were then used as the
foundation for what would become
 It is the idea that species
known as Social Darwinism.
change over time, give rise to a
new species and share a common
Phrase originated from Darwin’s ancestor.
evolutionary theory as a way of
describing the mechanism of
 Each species has its unique set
natural selection.
of heritable genetic differences
from the common ancestor by
which can split-off producing a
The biological concept of fitness multi-level tree linking of all
is defined as reproductive organisms.
success of the organism. Survival
of the form that we live the most Darwin’s Tree of Life
copies with itself in successive
generations.

SOCIAL DARWINISM

 Survival of the fittest implies

that the strong will succeed and
the weak shall perish.

 The 'fittest' will be successful

and they shall rule the weaker
because they are the most fit to
do so.
X. EVIDENCES OF EVOLUTION

 In a brutal world without social

hierarchy, class, and social
customs, this would mean the 1. Fossil Record
person who is the strongest and
Fossils are the preserved
has the longest spear rules over
remains of previously living
everyone.
organisms or their traces, dating
from the distant past.
Fossils document the existence
of now-extinct species, showing that
different organisms have lived on
Earth during different periods of
the planet's history.
They can also help scientists
reconstruct the evolutionary
histories of present-day species.
Equine Evolution
2. Comparative Anatomy
The study of the similarities
and differences in the structures of
different species.
Similar body parts may be
homologous structures or analogous
structures.
One of the proof or supporting
evidence of Darwin in his second
book ‘The Descent of Man’ in
which become controversial as he
stated that we share the common
ancestor with the apes.

Homologous Structures

- structures that are similar

in related organisms because
they were inherited from a
common ancestor. (Same
certain body parts)
- These structures may or may
not have the same function in
the descendants.

The age of the fossils depends on Analogous Structures

the age of rock layer or strata
in which where the fossils have - structures that are similar
found. in unrelated organisms.
- The structures are similar
We have Dating Techniques/Method because they evolved to do
to determine the rock strata and the same job, not because
determine the age of the fossil: they were inherited from a
Relative Dating, Absolute Dating, common ancestor. (the
Radioactive Dating etc. function is same ex. Wings)
It is important to trace and
detect if the present days
species shares common ancestor
with other species or organism.
As studying it records and tell
if there is an

o Ancestral Trait (primitive

forms of a certain
species/organisms) larger
group
o Derived Traits (newly
evolved traits that cannot
be seen in the fossils of
common ancestor, maybe can
only be seen in present
days species) by mutation

Transitional Fossils
 Similarities in the comparison
can be used as evidence in support
Vestigial Structures
Comparing the biomolecule, the
- Reduced forms of functional sequences of it in our body.
structures.
> Sequences of Amino Acid
Over the period, the part will no Cytochrome C
longer serve a function or
purpose. Ex. Human’s Tailbone, - Iron containing molecule
Procedural Bone, Appendix. which carries electrons in
respiration. > electron
transport chain (ETC)

of evolution.

3. Comparative Embryology

The study of the similarities

and differences in the embryos of
different species. Comparing Proteins

Different species of organisms may

contain the same genes with slight
variations in sequences.

For example, the coding for

cytochrome c is very similar in
humans, chickens, mice and horses.

5. Evidence from Biogeography

Biogeography is the study of how

and why organisms live where they
do.

It provides more evidence for

evolution.
Embryos of different vertebrates
look much more similar than the Geographic distribution, the
animals do at later stages of life. distribution of different
Rows A through C illustrate the organism around the world.
development of each embryo, from
earliest to latest stages. There are some tendencies that
similar species live in different
environment because geological
forces or migration pattern.
4. Comparative Biochemistry

Biochemistry is the study of the

basic chemistry and processes that
occur in cells.

It involves the comparison of Darwin believed that there is a

DNA (explained in another part),
proteins such as cytochrome c and
hemoglobin and chromosomes across
different species.
process by which organisms that can
better adapt in their environment do
survive, while those less able to
adapt become extinct. This process
is called?
 - Adaptation  There is variation within a
species.

 Species is a group of
organisms that share similar
characteristics and
interbreed to produce fertile
offspring.
XI. NATURAL SELECTION

 It is the process by which

organisms better suited to adapt  However, with the advent of
in their environment survive, molecular cloning, it is now
while those less able to adapt possible to artificially
become extinct. interbreed two different
species.
 The result is not a sudden
creation of each individual
species but a successive
d. Survival of the Fittest
evolution and improvement of a
species.  Some variations allow members
of a species to survive and
reproduce better than others.
a. Overpopulation
 Certain traits help organisms
 The number of offspring is survive and reproduce in a
usually greater than the given environment.
available resources necessary
for organisms to survive.
e. Variations can be transmitted
 Thomas Robert Malthus –
population grows  Organisms that survive and
geometrically while food reproduce gradually transmits
production grows their traits to their
arithmetically. offspring creating more and
more of the population.
 Organisms can die from many
causes: disease, starvation,
or being eaten by predator.
In “The Descent of Man”, Charles
Darwin expands on ideas that he
first expressed in
b. Struggle for Existence
- The Expression of Emotions in
 Every organism must struggle Man and Animals
to survive.
XII. THE DESCENT OF MAN AND
 Organisms must compete for SELECTION IN RELATION TO SEX
limited resources, including
food, territory, and other  The second book of Charles
necessities of life to Darwin following his main book
survive. On the Origin of the Species.

 The book discusses about the

relationship of the Theory of
c. Presence of Variation Evolution and the Theory of
Sexual Selection.
 He wrote this book to explore  He also explored the similarity
the following concepts: of some of their characteristics
and behavior corresponding on
o first, is whether a man is how they adapt.
descended from some pre-
existing form,  Charles Darwin then continues
his work by further by
o second, the manner of that explaining the role of Natural
development and Selection and Genetic
Inheritance, stating that both
o lastly, the value of the humans and animals have traits
differences between the and intellectual ability which
so-called races of man. can be passed down through
generations that can remain
 The book is mainly divided into constant or can change overtime.
two volumes namely: The  He also explored the similarity
Evolution of Man and Sexual of some of their characteristics
Selection. and behavior corresponding to
how they adapt.

The book should be part or  Ending the first part of the

chapter of The Descent of Man but
it was published on separate book
in 1872.
Considered as Darwin’s 3rd major
work in evolutionary theory.
The book tells us all humans and
even other animals show emotions
through similar behavior: same
facial movement.
book, he rejected both the idea
of monogenism and polygenism,
stating that a possible reason
for the divergence of racial
differences was caused by sexual
selection.
In this book, He also discusses
the differences between human
races. ++ Between sexist, The
dominant role of woman in
choosing a mate, and the
relevance of evolutionary theory
in our society.

Polygenism (multiple origins) is

The theory that the human race has a theory of separate origins of
ascended from two or more ancestral human races. > Human races have
types. evolved from two or more distant
- Polygenism ancestor types.

XIII. THE EVOLUTION OF MAN

 He tackles evidences to argue

that humans evolved from a lower
form of animal. According to Charles Darwin, what do
men have to offer in order for them
 He examines the similarities to be more valuable to women as
between man and some higher their mate?
animals like primates, dogs,
horses and other mammals. - Attractive Appearance

XIV. SELECTION IN RELATION TO SEX

 He began to compare their
anatomy and brain capability.  Charles Darwin proposed the idea
of sexual selection, in which
states that a female chooses a
 mate with a more attractive o a western portion in which
appearance and a more dominant the animals are largely of
trait, to explain why there is a Asian origin, and
physical feature of some animals
with no function. This implies o an eastern portion where the
that animals also evolve to gain fauna reflects Australasia.
reproductive advantage.
 considered the 19th century's
 He also argues that, through leading expert on the
constant developing of males, geographical distribution of
the choosiness of the females animal species and is sometimes
has made them inferior to the called the "father of
males. biogeography"

 For more complex organisms, more

factors are considered in
choosing a mate. Charles Darwin
connected this idea with the
culture of sexual partnership
within human nature. Thus, he
concluded that humans can
further improve their condition
through the struggle for their
existence.

XV. Alfred Russel Wallace (8 January

1823-7 November 1913)

 a British naturalist, explorer,

geographer, anthropologist, and
biologist.

 best known for independently

conceiving the theory of
evolution through natural
selection; his paper on the
subject was jointly published
with some of Charles Darwin's
writings in 1858.

 This prompted Darwin to publish

his own ideas in On the Origin
of Species.

 Walace did extensive field work,

first in the Amazon River basin
and then in the Malay
Archipelago, where he identified
the faunal divide now termed the
Wallace Line, which separates
the Indonesian archipelago into
two distinct parts: