A copy of The Origin Of Species, dated 1859
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The theories outlined in Charles Darwin’s masterwork of 1859, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection", were among the most controversial propositions of 19th-century science.
The book – 21 years in the preparation – represented the first attempt to write an all-encompassing theory that accounted for the development of life on earth. In suggesting that life-forms evolve through the generations, Darwin outraged the Victorian church, which held to a more or less literal interpretation of the story of Creation given in the Old Testament.
The theories of evolution and the survival of the fittest have hardly been questioned by scientists in the 150 years since Darwin’s findings were first aired, making this one of the most spectacular forward leaps in scientific history.
Biography
Darwin's work was a summary of all the most important findings in the field of evolution. Let us introduce you to some of his predecessors, and give you a flavour of the religious controversy that followed its first publication
Features
Join us as we re-create Darwin's voyage on the Beagle, and follow in his footsteps on horseback. With debates over eugenics and creationism in the air, you might forgive us for getting a little emotional too
