the origin of species by means of natural selection

The scientific theory of evolution has itself evolved since Darwin first presented it, but natural selection remains the most widely accepted scientific model of how species evolve. The book was controversial, and generated much discussion on scientific, philosophical, and religious grounds. The book is readable even for the non-specialist and attracted widespread interest on publication. Darwin's book was the culmination of evidence he had accumulated on the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s and expanded through continuing investigations and experiments since his return. It was controversial because it contradicted religious beliefs which underlay the then current theories of biology. His 1859 book On the Origin of Species established evolution by common descent as the dominant scientific explanation of diversification in nature.

It introduced the theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. In considering the Origin of Species, it is quite conceivable that a naturalist, reflecting on the mutual affinities of organic beings, on their embryological relations, their geographical distribution, geological succession, and other such facts, might come to the conclusion that each species had not been independently created, but had. The book's full title is On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. The Origin of Species is a seminal work in scientific literature and arguably the pivotal work in evolutionary biology. Beagle, as a naturalist, I was much struck with certain facts in the. This classic work of scientific literature, presenting the theory of evolution by means of natural selection, is still both relevant and controversial in the twenty-first century. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.

The origin of species by means of natural selection