The Theory Of Natural Selection

Natural selection is the key to evolution. The difference in genotype from generation gives rise to key traits that help species survive and flourish. When these species reproduce, they pass on their genes to their offspring who then will be able to survive. Those species who don’t have these key traits reduce in number because they don’t possess vital traits that can help them survive nor can they pass on vital traits to their offspring. Charles Darwin was the person who came up with this theory and he discussed it extensively in his book The Origin of Species. This theory explains why we have so much species with distinct traits but what it doesn’t explain is the evolution of neuter individuals. Neuter individuals can’t reproduce so if they had any trait that gave them a foothold over nature, it cannot be passed on to another

The idea of anthropocentrism provides comfort to humans. It posits that in this messy, incomprehensible world, we are still the central species. This idea allows, and even encourages, humans to view the world through a very anthropological lens and assume that, because we are the dominant and most important species, nature works in human terms and is the domain of man. The idea of creationism is very anthropocentric itself. In the Hebrew Bible, man was created before all other animals and designed in God’s image. He was given domain over nature by God as well. This idea of human supremacy and exceptionalism has persisted into modernity, but the advent of Darwin’s evolutionary theory altered human’s perception of themselves and the natural world.

Natural selection states that those organisms that have characteristics that best suit to the environment will survive, reproduce and pass some characteristics to their offspring. In any population that reproduces sexually, there are large variations of inheritable characteristics. If various groups of the same species become isolated from each other, the environments in which the groups are isolated may result into different characteristics to suit that particular

Charles Darwin revolutionized biology when he introduced The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. Although Wallace had also came upon this revelation shortly before Origins was published, Darwin had long been in development of this theory. Wallace amicably relinquished the idea to Darwin, allowing him to become the first pioneer of evolution. Darwin was not driven to publish his finding, which he'd been collecting for several years before Wallace struck upon it, because he had "never come across a single [naturalist] who seemed to doubt to permanence of species" (Ridley, pp. 70). What follows are the key points of Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection taken directly from the two chapters concerning it in his book

Life is evolution. Humans continuously try to keep up with the latest trends in an attempt to remain relevant in society. In the past ten years, humans have evolved immensely with the introduction, development, and integration of technology into their culture. Virtually everything can be found on the internet. Pictures and documents are being shared through cloud storage rather than being shared directly with a physical document, and doing homework online is now the norm. People have adapted to the new age, and those who have not adapted are being left behind--this is where the theory of natural selection meets modern cognitive science. Steven Pinker, the author of How The Mind Works, argues that the concept of natural selection is not as linear as society may think it is with today’s information. There is more to evolution than straightforward “survival of the fittest”. Using his background knowledge in cognitive science and the social sciences, Pinker links the biological approach to evolution with his cognitive science approach in an attempt to generate a new perspective to the theory of evolution. Steven Pinker supports his claim that the concept of natural selection is more than a simple biological adaptation, but rather a combination between biological adaptation and an adaptation to the “cognitive niche”, with historical observations, analogical evidence, and exploitation of archaeological evidence.

After observing the wildlife at the Galapagos Islands and Australia he began to question why an almighty creator would make multiple animals to play the same roles in different locations. Evolution was already a discussed topic in the 1800’s but no one really had an idea of how it was carried out. In 1859, Darwin published his book explaining natural selection called The Origin of Species. He speculated that evolution worked through a process called natural selection which occurs as follows, “...a member of a species developed a functional advantage (it grew wings and learned to fly). Its offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior (disadvantaged) members of the same species would gradually die out, leaving only the superior (advantaged) members of the species.”(Darwin's Theory Of Evolution) This theory challenged the previous thought that every organism was specifically designed for its environment known as “intelligent design”. Natural selection is still the accepted scientific explanation for the similarities between and

Reproduction has been the ultimate goal of every living organism that has ever originated on the earth. Over the time organisms have evolved to become better acclimated to the environment they live in such that reproduction and survival requirements are met. Even so, not every organism born is viable or produce progeny that survive and not every progeny that survives lives long enough to reproduce again. Only those who are strong and successful in reproducing are selected to survive. The process of ‘Natural Selection’ functions as the key to maintain the balance of the environment. Similarly, genes also work towards the same motive, replication. All genes on the other hand follow the ‘Mendelian Inheritance theory’, which allows genes to segregate into only 50% of the offspring exhibit the genotypes of genes from both parents in a 1:1 ratio. However, every commonly accepted system has its offenders. Similarly, offenders of the ancient gene pathway, come in the form of selfish genetic elements who work around the system and use other ways to increase in abundance, most often at the cost of the host’s health. Surprisingly, these selfish elements are still among the successful survivors though they do not follow the rules. One curious case of such an element is the segregation distorter gene found in all populations of a species of fly known as Drosophila melanogaster. The intention of this paper is to review a few researches conducted to give you an insight of this

Natural selection and The Theory of Evolution were just two of the things that Charles Darwin conquered through the exploration of The Galapagos Island.

As an elegant flock of birds traverses the virtually immeasurable sky, one may take note of several discrepancies in behavior and physical structure. If one were to theoretically travel several millennia forward in time, then he or she would be quite baffled to discover that this species has been completely altered. This outcome is a direct result of a ubiquitous phenomenon theorized by none other than Charles Darwin, a prestigious naturalist and biologist. This venerable man was able to unveil many revelations regarding variability through the development of his theory of natural selection (Darwin and Huxley xii). Having an inherent adoration toward nature as a young child likely provided a significant incentive. Though Darwin’s thesis is not immaculate by any standards he lived a successful life beyond this critical discovery and his legacy exists within his descendants (xii). In spite of being subject to perennial criticism it is essential to scrutinize not only the impact created by Darwin but his life in its complete grandeur.

While the idea of evolution has been around for centuries, it did not begin to gain general acceptance until the time of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species. Even then, it was met with skepticism and even anger and hatred. Though considered heresy by many as it appeared to

Although up into the nineteenth century it was common belief that a divine being created life, life has evolved since its first appearance about 3.8 billion years ago. Darwin claimed in his book, On the Origins of Species published in 1859, because “ ...many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for existence…” small variations that occur in the mutation of genes and genetic recombination during reproduction. Some of these variations are bound to be better suited to their environment and will succeed. Those that are less favorable are bound to fail. This is a process called natural selection. This genetic advantage increases the likelihood that the

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

Many scientists believe variations are caused by environmental factors, such as food availability, weather and more; and that species evolve when environmental conditions change to increase the species survival. Darwin censures this idea; he believed that the main cause of variation is due to reproduction (Chapter I). Darwin suggested that parents pass down specific characteristics to their offspring, and those variations are continued on in the following generations. The problem with Darwin’s theory of reproduction is that Darwin did not comprehend how or why some characteristics are perennial and how others are not. Darwin’s inferences on variations also conflict with the idea that God created species independently, which was widely understood by many people in a time where religion was prominent (Chapter II).

Darwin’s notion that existing species, including man, had developed over time due to constant and random change seemed to be in clear opposition to the idea that all creatures had been created “according to their kind” by God, as described in the first chapter of the biblical book of Genesis. Before Darwin, the prevailing scientific theory of life’s origins and development had held that species were fixed and that they never changed.

Evolution, before being called so, was first referred to by Charles Darwin in On the Origins of Species as descent with modification. This is a very good general explanation for what evolution is. Darwin believed that over long periods of time, animals’ traits changed and developed. This strayed from the traditional beliefs at the time which was that all species were created by God and did not change. He also believed that all animals were somehow related. He supported this belief with the idea that there were transitional species that existed as different animals evolved. His specific theory was that evolution occurred by means of a mechanism called natural selection.