Darwin was originally a "nerd" who wanted to be a pastor, and his brilliant masterpiece was not his original work?

Copernicus's On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy and The Origin of Species are known as the three masterpieces that changed human cognition. The Origin of Species clearly discussed the principle of "survival of the fittest" for the first time, consolidated the foundation of the theory of evolution, and opened a new chapter in biology. The author of this brilliant masterpiece is the famous Darwin. Darwin was a British biologist who completed a circumnavigation of the world and the founder of the theory of evolution. He died at the age of 73. But did you know that Darwin was actually a "homebody" for most of his life. Darwin's theory of evolution overturned creationism and denied God, but when he was studying at university, he also studied theology. Darwin's family earnestly hoped that he could have a stable job and be promoted to a distinguished pastor. What happened later, let me tell you.

On February 12, 1809, Charles Robert Darwin was born in the small town of Shropshire, England. Darwin was particularly interested in flowers, plants, insects, and birds in nature when he was young, and often went to the fields to catch beetles, fish and shrimps for "research". His father, a doctor, thought that he was not doing his job properly, so he asked Darwin to study theology instead, hoping that he could become a pastor in the future. You know, the status of pastors at that time was no less than that of civil servants today. The stubborn Darwin did not give up his hobby. He met the famous botanist Henslow at the university, who admired Darwin's talent very much.

In 1831, Darwin graduated from Cambridge University. Encouraged and recommended by Professor Henslowe, he participated in the scientific expedition around the world on the British Navy's "HMS Beagle" on December 27 of the same year as a "naturalist". They first investigated Brazil, Argentina and other places on the east coast of South America, the west coast and adjacent islands, then crossed the Pacific Ocean to Oceania, crossed the Indian Ocean to South Africa, and then went around the Cape of Good Hope and returned to Brazil through the Atlantic Ocean, and finally returned to Britain on October 2, 1836. Darwin made a lot of observations and collections of animals, plants and geological structures along the way, and the idea of ​​evolution took root in his heart.

After the voyage, Darwin returned home and never went out for further research. For a naturalist, he was too "homebody" in the following years. Of course, this was due to physical factors, but the most difficult task for the "homebody" Darwin was to organize and study the fruits of this round-the-world voyage - 368 pages of zoological notes, 1383 pages of geological notes, 770 pages of diaries, 1529 species specimens preserved in alcohol bottles, 3907 air-dried species specimens... A brilliant masterpiece has already begun.

Darwin not only achieved great academic success, but his character and personality are also worthy of thumbs up. (This is mentioned at the beginning of the article, and it is incomparable to a certain Dun who often competes with others for the credit of the first publication). In June 1858, Darwin, who had a certain status in the academic world, was preparing to publish the masterpiece "The Origin of Species", which almost exhausted his life's efforts. Coincidentally, his little fan Wallace sent a letter, asking his idol to help correct and modify his academic thoughts. Wallace is also a great biologist and explorer. He has personally visited the Amazon rainforest and the Malay Archipelago. When Darwin opened Wallace's letter, he was shocked. It was really a coincidence that Wallace's view on "natural selection" in the letter coincided with the view in his upcoming "Origin of Species". Darwin was in a dilemma. If I publish "The Origin of Species" again, will it be considered as "plagiarizing" Wallace's academic achievements?

In July 1858, Darwin published his paper on the origin of species as scheduled, but the article was signed "jointly" with Wallace. Darwin's approach won Wallace's respect and deserves the respect of future generations. The Linnean Society in London also established the Darwin-Wallace Medal to commemorate this day, which is used to reward scientists who have made important contributions in the field of biology. The front and back of the medal are printed with the portraits of Darwin and Wallace respectively. After this incident, Darwin felt a sense of urgency and accelerated the speed of writing books.

In November 1859, Darwin's landmark masterpiece, The Origin of Species, which consumed his life's work, was finally published. "How did we come here?" It seems that humans have already touched upon the answer...

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