alfred russel wallace
Margot Willis, National Geographic Society. Washington, DC 20036, National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. By 1855, his observations led him to the conclusion that living things change over long periods of time—they evolve. In this feature, Andrew Berry examines Wallace’s life. National Geographic Headquarters The two young men amicably parted ways after several joint collecting ventures; Bates spent 11 years in the region, while Wallace spent a total of four years traveling, collecting, mapping, drawing, and writing in unexplored regions of the Amazon River basin. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. November 1913 in Broadstone, Dorset in England) war ein britischer Naturforscher. This site is dedicated to the life and work of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913), one of the greatest scientists of all time. The theory of natural selection was explored by 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin. About the Wallace Website - the official website of the Wallace Memorial Fund. These won him acclaim from the Royal Geographical Society, which helped to fund his next collecting venture, in the Malay Archipelago. This compromise sought to avoid a conflict of priority interests and was reached without Wallace’s knowledge. Alfred Russel Wallace visited Sumatra only once and stayed a relatively short time, from November 1861 to January 1862, which is perhaps surprising given that the island is massive (more than double the area of Great Britain) with, at that time, vast swathes of barely explored rain forest. 1145 17th Street NW Wallace’s parents belonged to the Church of England, and as a child Wallace attended services. The first of these, published in 1855, concluded with the assertion that “every species has come into existence coincident both in space and time with a pre-existing closely allied species.” Wallace then proposed that new species arise by the progression and continued divergence of varieties that outlive the parent species in the struggle for existence. Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society His engagement with progressive politics and spiritualism likely contributed to his lack of employment and to his somewhat peripheral status in the historical record. In 1837 Wallace became an apprentice in the surveying business of his eldest brother, William. It signifies the unexpected distribution of animals on either side of the line. British naturalist, born at Usk, in Monmouthshire, on the 8th of January 1823. person who studies places and the relationships between people and their environments. Corrections? However, what he is best known for is his work on the theory of natural selection. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Here Wallace read treatises and attended lectures by Robert Owen and his son Robert Dale Owen that formed the basis of his religious skepticism and his reformist and socialist political philosophy. Hereditary variants were thought to arise naturally in populations, and then these were either selected for or against by the contemporary environmental conditions. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Alfred Russel Wallace was born on January 8, 1823, in his family home of Kensington House in Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales. Alfred Russel Wallace may not be well known outside the scientific community, but his contributions to the theory of evolution were invaluable to Charles Darwin.In fact, Wallace and Darwin collaborated on the idea of natural selection and presented their findings jointly to the Linnean Society in … Natural selection explains how genetic traits of a species may change over time. Living in London with his brother John, 14-year-old Wallace pursued self-education, reading treatises and attending lectures that formed the basis of his religious skepticism and his reformist and socialist political philosophy. change in heritable traits of a population over time. Co-Discovered Theory of Evolution. Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) was a man of many talents - an explorer, collector, naturalist, geographer, anthropologist and political commentator. Wallace’s wide-ranging interests—from socialism to spiritualism, from island biogeography to life on Mars, from evolution to land nationalization—stemmed from his profound concern with the moral, social, and political values of human life. Alfred Russel Wallace's family had a rich heritage with the reputed Scottish warrior, William Wallace believed to be a forebear of their lineage.Alfred was born on 8th January 1823 in Welsh district of Llanbadoc. process by which organisms that are better -adapted to their environments produce more offspring to transmit their genetic characteristics. From these he published several scientific articles, two books (Palm Trees of the Amazon and Their Uses and Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, both 1853), and a map depicting the course of the Negro River. Wallace wrote over 20 books and published more than 700 articles and letters on a wide variety of topics. Sein offizielles botanisches Autorenkürzel lautet „Wallace“. Most famously, he had the revolutionary idea of evolution by natural selection entirely independently of Charles Darwin. Eleven days later, according to the family prayerbook, he was 'half-baptized', and the full baptism took place at Llanbadoc church on 16 February. In writings and public appearances he opposed vaccination, eugenics, and vivisection while strongly supporting women’s rights and land nationalization. Charles Darwin and his observations while aboard the HMS Beagle, changed the understanding of evolution on Earth. The two collaborated on a scientific paper, discussing their evidence for natural selection and evolution. But in the mid-1800s, Darwin and the British biologist Alfred Russel Wallace independently conceived of a natural, even observable, way for life to change: a process Darwin called natural selection. Except for one shipment of specimens sent to his agent in London, however, most of Wallace’s collections were lost on his voyage home when his ship went up in flames and sank. However, what he is best known for is his work on the theory of natural selection. Though the family was regarded as a middle-class, they were just able to meet the necessities of life. He traveled to Brazil and various islands of the Malay Archipelago that make up modern-day Indonesia and the Philippines, where he collected thousands of specimens of insects, birds, and other animals. Lived 1823 - 1913. Alfred Russel Wallace discovered the concept of evolution by natural selection. to develop new characteristics based on adaptation and natural selection. Wallace’s Line, as it was later named, runs from the Indian Ocean to the Philippine Sea. His formulation of the theory of evolution by natural selection, which predated Charles Darwin’s published contributions, is his outstanding legacy, but it was just one of many controversial issues he studied and wrote about during his lifetime. Alfred Russel Wallace, who died 100 years ago, on November 7 1913, is most often remembered as a kind of ‘Darwin satellite’: the other discoverer of evolution by natural selection. Wallace was a highly original thinker and was […] individual organism that is a typical example of its classification. About. Alfred Russel Wallace was born near the English/Welsh border town of Usk on January 8, 1823 to Mary Ann and Thomas Vere Wallace. His formulation of the theory of evolution by natural selection, which predated Charles Darwin’s published contributions, is his outstanding legacy. Alfred Russel Wallace is far from a household name, but he changed the world. In fact, Alfred Russel Wallace, another British naturalist, was a co-discoverer of the theory — though Darwin has gotten most of the credit. Wallace and Bates participated in the culture of natural history collecting, honing practical skills to identify, collect, and send back to England biological objects that were highly valued in the flourishing trade in natural specimens. His paper detailing the natural selection mechanism was published together with writings by Charles Darwin in 1858, setting the basis for our … He became known for his views on scientific, social, and spiritualist subjects. 108 talking about this. The project is directed by John van Wyhe, assisted by Kees Rookmaaker, at the National University of Singapore, with assistance from the Wallace Page by Charles H. Smith. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. After his brother William died in early 1845, Wallace worked in London and Wales, saw to his brother’s business, surveyed for a proposed railway line, and built a mechanics’ institute at Neath, Wales, with his brother John. This educational website was created by Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture to mark the centennial of Alfred Russel Wallace’s path-breaking book The World of Life: a Manifestation of Creative Power, Directive Mind and Ultimate Purpose, which was released by the London publishing house of Chapman and Hall on December 2, 1910. Alfred Russel Wallace’s formal education was limited to six years at a one-room grammar school in Hertford, England. He was keenly intellectual but no less spiritual, a scientist and a spokesman for unpopular causes, a gifted naturalist who never lost his enthusiasm for nature, and a prolific and lucid writer. Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist. Alfred Russel Wallace Biography, Life, Interesting Facts. His lack of enthusiasm for organized religion became more pronounced when he was exposed to secular teachings at a London mechanics’ institute, the “Hall of Science” off Tottenham Court Road. New tax laws (Tithe Commutation Act, 1836) and the division of public land among landowners (General Enclosures Act, 1845) created a demand for accurate surveys and maps of farmlands, public lands, and parishes, as surveys and maps made according to regulations were legal documents in executing these laws. Wallace combined social reformism and quantitative arguments to undermine the claims of provaccinationists and had a major impact on the debate. Wallace Online is the first complete edition of the writings of Alfred Russel Wallace, including the first compilation of his specimens and the only way to search all of his publications with a powerful search engine. Nevertheless, he managed to save some of his notes before his rescue and return journey. He studied the languages and habits of the peoples he encountered; he collected butterflies, other insects, and birds; and he searched for clues to solve the mystery of the origin of plant and animal species. His research on geographic distribution of animals of the Malay Archipelago supported his evolutionary theories and led him to devise what became known as the Wallace Line, the boundary separating Australian fauna from Asian fauna.