In 1832 the young Charles Darwin embarked on one of the most epic journeys in the history of biology, if not of all science. As a naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle, Darwin saw things that challenged the prevailing view of how life arose. On returning to England five years later, he began work on what he called "the species problem."

"The Voyage of the Beagle" (not published until 1909), comprises the diaries Darwin kept on the journey.

One of his most celebrated observations concerns a group of 14 species of finches he encountered in the Galapagos Islands.