Celebrating the day in 1859 when Charles Darwin first published “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”, Evolution Day is a good time to look at the idea of “where did we come from”. Whatever your religious beliefs, looking at the theory of evolution is a good exercise in scientific exploration.
Charles Darwin was an 19th Century English naturalist who developed his ideas about natural selection from his five-year stint on the Beagle, an English Navy ship that was refitted as a as a survey barque in the mid-1800s. He was there to studied geology, and become confused as he studied where different fossils where discovered. He put his research together and developed the theory that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection. The Darwin’s theories and writing brought him much controversy and much pain. He suffered though out his life from stomach problems and stress related illnesses. Debate about his ideas have dwindled, but are still examined, a testament to the thoughtful scientist who would become known as the father of modern biology.

Caricature from 1871 Vanity Fair