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Article: Darwin, Charles
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Darwin, Charles
English naturalist 1809
–
1882
Charles Darwin was the founder of modern evolutionary thought, and the developer, along with Alfred Russel Wallace, of the theory that natural selection
is a principle driving force in evolution. Darwin is generally recognized as the single greatest thinker in the history of biology, whose contributions provided the basis for understanding the immense diversity that characterizes the natural world.
Darwin was born February 12, 1809, into a wealthy English family. A lifelong interest in natural history led him to embark, at age twenty-two, on a five-year voyage to South America aboard the HMS
Beagle
as the ship's naturalist. ...