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Previously, we only took a vote: Your top ten candidates for the Nobel Prize, your top ten reasons to clone a human being (or not). Ever adapting and evolving, HMS Beagle now inaugurates a new feature, beginning with our own list: The top ten Web sites about Charles Darwin himself.
Watch this space for the results of the cloning poll, for future polls, and more Top Tens.
1. Charles Darwin's Ship HMS Beagle: Links - links to an extensive array of Web sites about HMS Beagle.
In 1831, Charles Darwin sailed to the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of South America. HMS Beagle was embarking on the second of two exploratory and scientific expeditions around the world. Its captain was Robert Fitzroy, a descendant of an illegitimate son of King Charles II and later to be New Zealand's second governor-general. Darwin was only twenty at the time and was an unpaid observer on the ship. By all accounts, he seemed relatively indifferent to the task before him - until he actually arrived in South America, where the richness and diversity of the flora and fauna captured his imagination. He says in his diary, "I have been wandering by myself in the Brazilian forest: amongst the multitude it is hard to say what set of objects is most striking; the general luxuriance of the vegetation bears the victory, the elegance of the grasses, the novelty of the parasitical plants, the beauty of the flowers, the glossy green of the foliage, all tend to this end . . . To a person fond of Natural History such a day brings with it pleasure more acute than he ever may again experience." This was, of course, only a prelude to the wonders he would find waiting for him in the Galapagos. From his observations there, conducted over a period of only five weeks, Darwin collected enough information to occupy him for more than a quarter of a century.
2.Virtual Galapagos: History: Darwin's Visit - chronicles the voyage of HMS Beagle, with pictures of the ship.
After crossing the Atlantic, the Beagle combed the coasts of South America looking for the fossilized remains of animals. Although the Beagle traveled to many places, the one that struck Darwin most deeply was the Galapagos Islands archipelago off the coast of Ecuador. The islands are grouped closely together and are ecologically similar, albeit with slight differences in environmental conditions. Darwin noticed that many closely related species had adapted in different ways to their conditions. From this simple insight, Darwin proposed several revolutionary concepts that were to be among the underpinnings of ecology and evolutionary biology: species variation, natural selection, ecological niches, and adaptation.
3. Online Library of Literature: Charles Darwin: The Origin of Species, The Voyage of the Beagle, and The Descent of Man
4. C. Warren Irvin, Jr., Collection of Charles Darwin and Darwiniana - an online exhibit housing a collection of historical texts surrounding the rise of evolutionary theory in addition to other "Darwiniana."
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Darwin began his speculations on evolution from previous readings on the nature of environmental change and the competition for resources affecting biological development. From these two presuppositions, Darwin postulated that among plants and animals that find themselves in competition for the same resources, the ones better adapted to their condition will survive.
"These individuals will pass on favorable traits to their offspring. Over a great number of generations, certain
characteristics become emphasized in a population while others lose their biological importance." The idea that
"natural selection" supplies a driving force behind evolution offered biologists a new and comprehensive method for
studying individual species, their inter-relationships, and their long-term development. The legacy of Darwin's
achievement cannot be overestimated. Not only did it provide scientists with an over-arching view of the origins of
life on Earth, it altered the metaphysical outlook of humanity. The sons and daughters of God suddenly became the
descendents of primates, and ultimately of simple amino acids formed accidentally in the Earth's "primordial soup."
It is small wonder that Darwin's name continues to be embroiled in religious debates.
For anyone interested in those disputes, a selection, along with a good deal of background information on the creationist/evolutionist debate, can be found at the Talk.Origins Archive site (derived from the Usenet newsgroup talk.origins).
5. Finding a biography of Darwin or an article on evolution is no problem, but what about a book featuring his ship? These two sites offer two excellent works: HMS Beagle, Survey Ship Extraordinary , by Karl Heinz Marquardt (Amazon.com), and HMS Beagle: The Story of Darwin's Ship, by Keith S. Thomson (Internet Book Shop).
6. Discovery Channel Online: Galapagos: Beyond Darwin
The Discovery Channel and a team of biologists retraced Darwin's fateful voyage to the Galapagos Islands. Aboard the research vessel Seward Johnson, they set off on the expedition in the fall of 1997. In the hopes of finding further insights into the nature of evolution, they, unlike Darwin, concentrated on the biological wealth of the seas surrounding the Galapagos. The Discovery site showcases the diversity and beauty of the islands that transfixed Darwin's attention, and includes a film and numerous full-color photographs.
7. Charles Darwin Research Station
The Charles Darwin Research Station conducts research in the Galapagos Islands and the Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve. Part of an international nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research in the Galapagos Islands since 1959, its responsibilities include management of the Galapagos National Park Service, assistance to scientists who work in Galapagos, and environmental education and training to ensure the preservation of the islands.
8. Charles Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle: Selections and Commentary
This site presents excerpts from Darwin's book The Voyage of the Beagle, with commentary by David Likely, a professor at the University of New Brunswick. For anyone who does not wish to read the entire work, Likely has furnished choice tidbits. The site also includes maps chronicling the voyage.
9. The Journal of Syms Covington
Syms Covington was Darwin's assistant on HMS Beagle. Covington was a rather taciturn traveler, not particularly fond of the "savages" of South America. His writings offer a very different perspective on what history remembers as Darwin's ship. Also of interest is the introductory commentary of the site's developer, Victoria Young, entitled Expanding Worlds, in which she debunks the popular view that the Beagle was conducting a "scientific expedition." She provides considerable historical context for the voyage in terms of British mercantile interests, the continued missionary zeal of nineteenth-century Europe, and the personal motivation of Captain Fitzroy, who had lost a whaleboat on the first (1826) voyage of the Beagle. This is a must-see for anyone interested in novel accounts of the second voyage of the Beagle.
10. Down House.
In this secluded English manor, located in the picturesque North Downs countryside just outside London, Darwin studied and wrote for nearly half a century after his return from the Beagle voyage. In 1994 it was declared a public monument and scholarly resource by the Natural History Museum in London.
Nikheel Dhekne holds a Masters in philosophy from SUNY-Stony Brook and is currently a freelance Web publisher and developer.
Andrzej Krauze is an illustrator, poster maker, cartoonist, and painter who illustrates regularly for HMS Beagle, The Guardian, The Sunday Telegraph, Bookseller, and New Statesman.
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Darwin - CD-ROM available from Amazon.com ($49.95).