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Darwin

This brilliant 19th-century naturalist’s intense curiosity about the diversity of species led him to a new understanding of the world around us—and our place in it.

Evidence collected during the five-year voyage of the HMS Beagle led to Darwin’s revolutionary theory that species adapt to different environments and change over time: all life, including humans, has evolved from a common ancestor through the process of natural selection. The new tools of genetics and molecular biology continue to build on Darwin’s radical ideas and refine our understanding of the mechanisms of evolution, which is essential to the study of life sciences. 

Educator Materials Science Explorations: Animals, Adaptation, and the Galápagos Islands Travel to the Galápagos Islands and follow in Charles Darwin’s footsteps with this interactive investigation. You’ll have the chance... Special Exhibition Darwin Learn about Charles Darwin's observations of nature and how he transformed our understanding of the living world. November 19, 2005 — August 20, 2006 Staff Meet the Curator Meet Dr. Niles Eldredge, Curator of Darwin. Educator Materials Resources For Educators: Darwin Educator Guide and resources for the Darwin exhibition. Audio Frontiers Lecture: Brilliant Blunders To err is human, even if you’re a scientist. In this podcast, astrophysicist Mario Livio discusses the interesting scientific mistakes... July 5, 2013 Blog Post New Study Sheds Light on Mammal Group that Puzzled Darwin New study reveals that extinct South American ungulates are closely related to groups that gave rise to horses and rhinos. March 18, 2015 Blog Post "Punk Eek," 40 Years Later In the late 1960s, Curator Emeritus Niles Eldredge was a graduate student with a passion for trilobite eyes. He had been taught to... May 21, 2012 Article Darwin: Voyage of Discovery (Science World) Did you know that Darwin was prone to sea sickness? Or that he found a bird specimen he was seeking ... on his dinner plate? Examine... Audio Podcast: SciCafe: Island Birds and Biodiversity From Darwin’s finches to the Dodo, island birds have inspired groundbreaking scientific theories. The genomic revolution and increased... April 12, 2012 Exhibit Galápagos Giant Tortoise The huge Galápagos tortoise was once so plentiful that ships loaded up on as many as 700 live animals; a single tortoise could provide...