Development of “Darwin’s Great Idea”

 

Please write a paper explaining the following points:

 

  • Why did Charles Darwin NOT become a doctor? 
    • How long was he in medical school?
    • What did Darwin enjoy doing?
    • What did his father want him to do, if he wasn’t going to be a physician?
    • What type of education did Darwin begin in respect to his father’s wishes?
  • What job offer did Darwin get that changed the course of his life?
    • Did his father agree to let him go on the big voyage? 
    • What was the HMS Beagle?
  • What kind of equipment did Darwin take on the Beagle. 
    • Any books? 
    • What was their importance to him?
  •  What oceanic landforms interested Darwin? 
    • What was his “first great theory?”
    • Was his 1st theory correct?
  • What kind of evidences began to interest Darwin once he got off the ship to explore jungles? 
    • What did he see on the Galapagos that really stimulated his mind to think about where life come from?
  • After 5 years on the ship, he returned to England and began “mental rioting.”
    • What does “mental rioting” mean?  Why did he do this in “secret notebooks.”
    • What did he do with pigeons that taught him about genetic variation in populations?
    • What did he think regarding the finches on the Galapagos?
  • What idea did he use from Malthus?  What did he decide about natural selection?
    • His new idea of natural selection powering evolution was awesome.  Why did he not immediately publish?
    • What two events pushed him to publish his theory of how evolution happens?
    • Who did Darwin co-present with to the Linean Society?
  • What is the “Origin of the Species?” 
    • What are the two main ideas in his book?
    • What is the only figure in the Origin of the species?
    • What kinds of evidences do we see today that indicates that species have been changed over time?
    • What are the 4 main ideas shown in the fossil record?
    • How are Earth history and Life History intertwined?
    • What are the 3 things that fuel evolution?
    • Summarize the example given to illustrate pocket mice coloration evolution on desert lava flows.
  • What did you learn about Darwin and his life that is different than what you had previously thought?