Darwin 's Theory On Evolution

Biological evolution itself is the change in characteristics of living organisms over generations. Evolutionary theories suggest that all organisms alive today share a common ancestor. As unlikely as it sounds, evidence has been discovered proving this theory (relations from a spider to a monkey).

The theory of evolution sets forth an explanation of how all of the living species on Earth came to be. The theory as we know it today, written by Charles Darwin, states that all the living species of today – humans included – evolved over time; we can see evidence of their evolution in the fossils of now-extinct species. In his book Origin of Species, published in 1859, Charles Darwin wrote that species evolve over time through a mechanism known as “natural selection.” Basically, each species is born with a multitude of traits, some more favorable to survival than others. Because some traits encourage survival more so than others, the animals equipped with those traits tend to breed more than the animals that lack those traits. Over time, more and more offspring are born with these favorable traits and less are born without them; thus, the species evolves. In his 1871 book, The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Darwin surmised that where humans are concerned, natural selection helped humans evolve in addition to a concept known as “sex selection.” Similar to natural selection, sex selection is the process by

Charles Darwin has probably made the most significant impact on our modern ideas of evolution. Although he wasn’t the first person to think of evolution, he was the first to try and test it. He then published a book based on his research called The Origin of Species. In his book, he covered five major theories: evolution—species can change over time, common descent—all living things share a common ancestor, speciation—the population of one species separating into two separate species, gradualism—biological change in a population at a slow and steady rate, and natural selection. Natural selection being the dominant force in a much bigger idea where all five occur simultaneously, evolution.

Although Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection was a marked departure from his predecessors, it was neither built alone nor stands alone. His 1859 work, The Origin of Species, grew from theory that had been advanced by naturalists before him and was in turn incorporated into genetic evolutionary theory, among others (Frisancho). Similarly, the term natural selection encompasses Darwin’s conditions for it to occur, how it is measured, and how it is related to evolution. This information can then be used to understand how it relates to humans.

Over time, different species learn to adapt to their living environment in order to survive. If a genetic change of a characteristic is passed down through generations, a formation of a new species occurs (G, Linstead et. al., 2012). A variation to the characteristic of an individual can increase its survival and this provides more opportunities to reproduce. When the individual reproduces, the offspring benefit in result of the heritable genes and eventually through generations, the variants will be spread throughout the entire population (Montgomery, 2009). Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection can be supported through both fossils and homologous structures.

Charles Darwin followed the footsteps of his father and grandfather to study medicine at Edinburgh University at the age of 16 in October 1825. He wasn’t good at being a medic, because of the sight of blood made Charles Darwin queasy. Even though he didn’t have interest in medicine, Edinburgh was one of the best places in Britain to study science. It attracted free thinkers with radical opinions that would not have been tolerated in Oxford and Cambridge. Among other things, Darwin heard speakers talk about the latest theories of transmutation, as evolution was then known.

evolution is based on a mechanism that he titled natural selection. Natural selection is, as defined by Darwin in his book On the Origin of Species, the method of being naturally selected for a better chance of survival in an environment. Evolution itself is the process by which organisms develop and adapt over generations.

When Charles Darwin presented his theory of natural selection in On the Origin of Species he was aware that it would not easily be accepted. Darwin compares the struggle he anticipates to the challenges encountered in other scientific fields, writing, “The difficulty is the same as felt by so many geologists, when Lyell first insisted that long lines of island cliffs had been formed, and great valleys excavated, by the slow action of the coast-waves” (Darwin, 392). Darwin anticipates that his theory will be criticized in a similar manner to theories purposed by Lyell. Believing that these criticisms originate from the limitation of human understanding. Among these limitations is the opinion that natural selection has the same restraints as the selection practised by humans during domestication. Natural selection can improve all characteristics of an organism allowing it to adapt perfectly to its environment while human selection can only alter the visible appearance of animals for humanity’s benefit. An additional human limitation that must be overcome is the inability to understand the immense periods of time that Darwin associates with the variation between species. Darwin is critical of a human’s ability to comprehend such time frames, and as a result, worries they will dismiss his theory without understanding it. Darwin is aware that the reader must overcome the human limitations to understand the true capabilities of nature, and the vast quantities of time that are

Charles Darwin came up with the theory of “Natural Selection,” which explained how animals produce offspring that will replace them. The theory of “Natural Selection” also fits the phrase “survival of the fit,” which became (or evolved - how fitting) “survival of the fittest.” Basically, animals eventually adapt to their environments through evolution. The evolved organisms, or the “fittest,” will end up surviving better and longer than those that are not as adapted.

Natural selection is how animals evolve over time and develop traits that help them survive in their environment. Darwin's theory was directly related to psychologist William Jame's ideas of functionalism which was that different behavioral traits get passed down through their heredity or through learning from a prior generation. The study of heredity was still in early phases he believed that they could be passed down from human to human genetically. (Ciccarelli & White, 2015, p. 8) Both James's and Darwin's theories would mean that as people and animals adapt the genes that create a specific weaker traits begin to make the holders of those genes die out over time, until the gene is completely removed. This is why people use the term selected

Charles Darwin, a pioneer for evolutionary biology, made a claim that “natural selection” allows for animals to adapt and fit better to their surroundings. According to Darwin, the initial cause of evolution is variation. These slight variations – caused by external conditions like climate, geographical location, and food availability – can give a species a characteristic that is desired; therefore, it allows them to survive, reproduce successfully, and pass those desired genes to the next generation. For instance, he has made evident that the exponential growth of the human population is due to mankind’s ability to make their food source more accessible. Darwin has also pointed out the significance of a predator-prey relationship. By using

Charles Darwin broached the theory of natural selection in his book the Origin of Species, which has been considered the basis of evolutionary biology to this day. Natural selection is when populations of a species evolve over the course of many generations. Darwin believed that species were not created separately, but instead, species were derived from one another. In other words, the evolution of species creates many variations among creatures, and this is because all of those species came from a common ancestor, and characteristics changed to increase the species chance of survival.

According to thefreedictionary.com the definition of natural selection is the process in which, according to Darwin’s theory of evolution, organisms that are better adapted to their environment tend to survive longer and transmit more of their genetic characteristics to succeeding generations, than do those that are less well adapted. The following section will cover aspects on which Darwin’s theory was transformative on his society, and also the general feelings of his contemporaries towards his work.

Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory or Darwinism is considered to be the “change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new

Charles Darwin is commonly known for writing On the Origin of Species, published in 1859. Based on his findings, Darwin concluded to “the theory of evolution, [by which] is the process of which organisms change over time as a result of changes in heritable or behavioral traits” (Than, 2015). Certain changes that occurred in the organism 's’ environment allowed it to evolve, survive, and produce offspring with those developed traits. He recorded his findings while aboard the second voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, dating from December 27, 1831 to October 2, 1863 (Leff). Many of his observations would soon come to prove Charles Lyell’s uniformitarianism on the basis of geology, along with his own theory of evolution.