Charles darwin biography video of albert

Scherrikar Bell:
He proposed a brand new idea to explain the origin of all species on earth and wrote it all down in a book called, "On the Origin of Species." Yep, this guy.

Charles Darwin:
Charles Darwin.

Scherrikar Bell:
Adventurer, writer, scientist and big beard fan.

Scherrikar Bell:
Charles Robert Darwin was born on the 12th February 1809 in Shrewsbury and lived in a massive house called The Mount. From a young age Charlie had an interest in natural history and collecting things. But the theory that made Darwin famous didn't come to him overnight, he didn't have an Isaac Newton moment where a bird flew into his face and he was like,

Charles Darwin:
Ah! You know what? These birds have changed over many years based on their environment

Scherrikar Bell:
It was in fact extensive research and life experience that helped him make one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the Victorian age, or of any age, really. So, we need to tell the whole story starting with The Beagle. No, not the dog. Although, yes, I'm sure beagles are a part of Darwin's theory too, but in this case, The Beagle is the name of a ship, a ship that Darwin found himself on in 1831, a few years before the Victorian era technically began, but stay with me. The voyage was only supposed to last for two years but then the captain was like, "Yep, we're running a tad late."

Charles Darwin:
"How late?" .

Scherrikar Bell:
Well, we're about three years behind schedule.

Charles Darwin:
Oh.

Scherrikar Bell:
But that did mean more time to collect samples from exotic islands which Darwin was pretty happy about. Some of the most important and beautiful islands that Darwin visited were the Galapagos Islands. A small cluster of tropical islands just off the coast of North South America. North South? A small cluster of islands west of Ecuador. There. The Galapagos Islands are so important David Attenborough made a TV show about them. The islands are in the Pacific Ocean, the largest ocean on earth. They're tropical and very close to the equator, the imaginary line that runs across the centre of the earth. This means they have a warm climate and a rainy season: great conditions for all sorts of life. While Darwin was exploring the Galapagos Islands, he made lots of observations, running around like…

Charles Darwin:
Ooh, look at that. That's an interesting animal. Oh, another interesting thing. Well, I'll be, an interesting plant. I love it here!

Scherrikar Bell:
Darwin collected samples and made drawings in his notebook of the animals and plants that he saw on his travels, noting down the smallest details and being scientifically thorough. Recording observations is all part of the scientific method.

Scherrikar Bell:
The scientific method is a system that helps scientists to find out if their ideas are correct. It's broken down into simple steps. First, you have to come up with a theory called a hypothesis, then do some research and record your observations, then develop your theory more and then see if it makes sense in different scenarios. After all that, you'll know if your theory or hypothesis works and if you need to make adjustments. While Darwin was on the Galapagos Islands, he was researching a new hypothesis.

Charles Darwin:
Why do we find different kinds of birds and animals in different parts of the world?

Scherrikar Bell:
He did some research, made some observations and drew some drawings of birds. And after much thought, he realised…

Charles Darwin:
The birds on each island are all finches. But they have different beaks.

Scherrikar Bell:
Then Charlie had a brainwave. His research had lead him to a new theory: evolution through natural selection.

Charles Darwin:
Natural selection works on the principle of survival of the fittest, meaning, the animal most fit for survival will live and pass on the traits that help it to survive.

Scherrikar Bell:
Like, if you're a lizard and you need to run away from something because it's trying to eat you, if you run faster than all your mates, you'll survive. Soz mates. And then you can run off and pass on your speedy running skills to the next generation of lizards. Darwin figured…

Charles Darwin:
That's why the birds have different beaks, they all eat different things and so to survive they need different beaks and that's what gets passed on.

Scherrikar Bell:
He was on to something so he wrote it all down in a book called, "On the origin of species." And on the 24th November 1859 it was published. The book was a big hit but not everyone agreed with Darwin's theories and it sparked mass debates amongst scientists, the public and the Church. Today, Darwin's theory is widely accepted as the explanation for evolution worldwide. Darwin revolutionised the way we understand life on earth and how it changes. It helped us understand how humans can have an impact on animals by changing their environment. It also helped us to understand something called selective breeding. Selective breeding is where humans choose to develop certain traits over others, like how we domesticated animals into pets. That's why German Shepherds are so big, we wanted them that way. Charles Darwin: is one of the biggest names in history. He was an island exploring, diagram drawing, bird watching, book writing, world changing scientist who helped to explain more about life on earth than any other scientist before him. And that's why he is the biggest name in Victorian science.