Climate change and animal evolution

6 Minute English

语言学习

2022-07-14

6 分钟
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  • Rob: I'm Rob.

  • Sam: And I'm Sam.

  • Rob: When we think about famous figures in the history of science,

  • the name of Charles Darwin often comes up.

  • Sam: Darwin is most famous for his theory of evolution,

  • the idea that animals change and adapt in response to their environment.

  • In the 1830s he visited the Galapagos,

  • a string of islands in the Pacific Ocean famous because of the unique animals living there.

  • Rob: It was while in the Galapagos,

  • observing small birds called finches, that Darwin started forming his theory of evolution.

  • But today, the animals of the Galapagos face the same pressures as animals across the world

  • because of the effects of man-made climate change.

  • Sam: Warming sea waters and more frequent extreme weather events are affecting animals as much as humans,

  • so, in this programme,

  • we'll be asking 'can animals evolve to deal with climate change?'

  • Rob: But first I have a question for you, Sam,

  • and it's about Charles Darwin's trip to the Galapagos.

  • In 1831, Darwin set sail around the world, collecting samples of lora and fauna,

  • the plants and animals, of the places he visited.

  • But what was the name of the ship he sailed in?