How did Charles Darwin become interested in science?

Answer 1

Charles Darwin was a biologist. he had the initial theory of natural selection or "survival of the fittest" this was the idea that when an animal was born slightly different from its species (for example a slightly longer neck) and then survived to pass on its genes because it was better adapted to its surroundings (in the case of a longer neck due to being able to reach higher food on trees) that then the offspring of this animal would have the same traits until they became widespread and accentuated in a species.

Answer 2

Charles Darwin's increased interest in natural science was spurred on by events outside his formal education.They were:

(1) Hiking - In his youth Darwin was quite an active hiker, and spent much of his summer vacation time in Northern Wales with his family. Anyone who has been to this part of Britain is aware of the incredible natural beauty of the area. It was here that Darwin spent his warm summer days collecting sea shells, minerals, insects, geological specimens, and whatever else interested him. The primary influence of Northern Wales on Darwin was the exposure to the incredible beauty and variety of nature.

(2) Book Reading - One book that influenced Darwin a great deal in his youth was titled "Wonders of the World." It may have been this book that first put the idea into Darwin's head to explore exotic foreign lands.

(3) Chemistry - When Darwin was thirteen years old (in 1822) his brother, Erasmus, built a small chemistry lab in the garden shed in back of the house. Darwin acted as assistant to his older brother, and they often worked into the late hours of the night experimenting with chemical reactions and producing various gases. It seems no one approved of Darwin's foray into chemistry. His classmates poked fun at his new hobby by calling him "Gas Darwin", the headmaster of the school scolded him for wasted his time with such non-sense, and his sisters feared his would blow-up the house! Darwin learned many things in his brother's lab, the most important of which were the proper methods of scientific experimentation - a set of skills t