News
In the 1830s Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos islands in the Pacific Ocean. He studied the unique animals living on the islands. Darwin's trip led him to the theory of evolution. In today's episode, Sam and Rob discuss the impact of climate change on today's wildlife. Can animals evolve quickly enough to survive a changing climate? us to explore this topic and learn the useful vocabulary you need to talk about it!
What was the name of the ship Charles Darwin sailed to the Galapagos in?a) HMS Beagleb) HMS Victoryc) SS Great BritainWatch the video to find out the answer.
evolutionthe way living things change and adapt to their environment, and on these adaptations to their children
flora and faunathe plants (flora) and animals (fauna) of a place
drabdull, boring, and colourless in appearance
beakthe hard, pointed part of a bird's mouth
cling onhold on very tight to something
traitcharacteristic determined by your genes
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.
RobHello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Rob.
SamAnd I’m Sam.
RobWhen we think about famous figures in the history of science, the name of Charles Darwin often comes up.
SamDarwin 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.RobIt 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.
SamWarming 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?’
RobBut 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 flora and fauna, the plants and animals, of the places he visited. But what was the name of the ship he sailed in?a) HMS Beagleb) HMS Victoryc) SS Great Britain
SamHmm, maybe it was B. HMS Victory.
RobAre you sure?
SamNo.
RobOK. I’ll reveal the correct answer later in the programme. Now, it may have been the Galapagos finches that started Charles Darwin thinking about how animals adapt to their environment but, as naturalist, Kiyoko Gotanda explained to BBC World Service programme The Climate Question, Darwin’s first impression of the small birds wasn’t very good:
Kiyoko GotandaWhen Darwin got to the Galapagos Islands, he actually wasn’t that interested in the finches – they were kind of a drab colour and didn’t have a very interesting song. He sampled, though, the finches from different islands, and so when he got back to England he was looking at all the variation in beak shape and size, and body size and shape, and he was recalling how certain finches were found on certain islands but not on other islands
RobIn contrast to more colourful birds like Galapagos parrots, the finches Darwin observed were drab, dull and boring-looking, with little colour.
SamInstead, what Darwin noticed were variations in the finches’ beak – the hard, pointed part of a bird’s mouth. Finches born with a beak that could help them get more food were more likely to survive and have babies. Over time, as the birds ed on their successful genes, they adapted to fit in with their environment – what we know as evolution.
RobSo, if animals can evolve to survive their environment, can they also evolve to cope with the impact humans are having on the climate?
SamWell, there’s already some evidence to show they can. Studies on birds in the Brazilian Amazon and red deer on the Isle of Rum, in Scotland, show warmer temperatures have caused animals to evolve smaller bodies. It’s easier to keep cool when you’re small!
RobAmerican conservationist Thor Hanson records and measures anole lizards in the Caribbean. He wants to see how the effects of man-made climate change, in this case hurricanes, is affecting the lizards. Listen to what Thor found out as he speaks with presenters of BBC World Service’s The Climate Question.
Jordan DunbarWhat you can see is that large toe pads and strong front legs give some lizards a tighter grip.
Kate LambleWhen they do start to let go and their body starts flapping in the air like a flag, smaller back legs reduce the drag, and allow them to cling on and survive the hurricane.
Thor HansonSo the survivors were those lizards with those characteristics, and they ed those traits along to their offspring.
RobThor’s lizards developed stronger front legs and smaller back legs, allowing them to cling on, hold on to something tightly, when hurricanes through.
SamIt’s this trait, a genetically-determined characteristic, that allows the lizards to survive, and is ed on to their babies. Thor checked other areas of the Caribbean where hurricanes were frequent and found the same traits in lizards there, proof of evolution in action. But whereas we often think of evolution happening over hundreds, even thousands of years, the changes in the Caribbean lizards happened in around forty years, something that would have surprised Charles Darwin. Which reminds me of your question, Rob.
RobYes, I asked you for the name of the ship Darwin sailed around the world in.Darwin’s ship was called the HMS Beagle and, appropriately enough, it was named after an animal - a beagle is a type of dog. OK, let’s recap the vocabulary from this programme about evolution, the way living things adapt to their environment and these adaptations on to their children.
SamFlora and fauna is another way of saying the plants and animals of a place.
RobDrab means dull and colourless in appearance.
SamA bird’s beak is the hard, pointed part of its mouth.
RobTo cling on means to hold on very tightly.
SamAnd finally, a trait is a genetically-determined characteristic. Once again, our six minutes are up! us again soon for more interesting topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English. Goodbye for now!
RobBye!
According to the UN, one third of the food we grow ends up in the rubbish bin - how can we stop this?
How are 3D printers providing solutions to some of our medical problems?
What can opinion polls really tell us?
Learn about an idea to deal with climate change that could affect marine ecosystems.
Is music really a cure for a broken heart?
We discuss whether the art of conversation is being lost in the era of social media
Hear about the workers who built the World Cup stadiums
How people are trying to manipulate the weather
We talk about the people who make flavours
We discuss whether Halloween costumes are now too scary to be fun.
We discuss how extreme weather events are affecting our mental health.
How to adapt dishes from other countries
We talk about Mozart, Jimi Hendrix and teach you vocabulary.
Learn vocabulary to talk about inflation
We discuss the language used for online dating
We discuss the advantages of the design of the human body
Hear the inspiring story of people who are doing it
Are emojis turning us into lazy writers?
Hear about women who are using social media to change attitudes to beauty
Hear about the career-killing tasks that are holding women back in the workplace
How can you connect the unconnected?
We talk about previous periods in which deadly diseases went global
Having a Groundhog Day? Keen to break the internet? Learn some modern idioms.
How sharks have become an endangered species.
Can today's animals evolve quickly enough to survive a changing climate?
Missing your mother's cooking? We talk about traditional dishes.
Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson's quest to highlight the difference between opinion and fact
In this episode, we discuss the events leading to the creation of the first atomic bomb.
What is life really like in the Pacific islands?
What is the relationship between translation, technology and the human brain?
We talk about a very British tradition
Living with synaesthesia
Is there north and south in space?
Hear how tech is helping people change their behaviour for the better
How do you mark your personal territory?
Deep convictions and a sense of humour - we talk about a man who helped end apartheid in South Africa.
We talk about an extreme environment which is stranger than fiction
We talk about an art that started with ancient Greek philosophers
It's not all about tea. Britons love coffee too!
Listen to a conversation about optimists and pessimists
Hear a chat about the queen of murder mystery, who had her books translated into over 100 languages
Is there life on Mars?
Shouldn't we take laughter more seriously?
Listen to what scientists are saying about the benefits of giving others a helping hand
Would you eat a cricket? How about a portion of nice crunchy ants?
Why not put your idle brain to good use?
We wonder what all that licking is really all about
Life in a place where people work, study longer hours and get less sleep than anywhere else
Artificial snow, coronavirus and controversy surround the Beijing Games starting soon.
Learn how microbes help digest food and have an impact in our bodies.
How do languages get invented?
What will future technology be like?
For a better experience please enable Javascript in your browser
