Charles Robert Darwin, (born February 12, 1809, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England—died April

19, 1882, Downe, Kent), English naturalist whose scientific theory of evolution by natural
selection became the foundation of modern evolutionary studies
Darwin's Theory of Evolution is the widely held notion that all life is related and has descended
from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers -- all related.
Darwin's general theory presumes the development of life from non-life and stresses a purely
naturalistic (undirected) "descent with modification". That is, complex creatures evolve from
more simplistic ancestors naturally over time. In a nutshell, as random genetic mutations occur
within an organism's genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid
survival -- a process known as "natural selection." These beneficial mutations are passed on to
the next generation. Over time, beneficial mutations accumulate and the result is an entirely
different organism (not just a variation of the original, but an entirely different creature).
Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations.
Suppose 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. Natural selection is the preservation of a
functional advantage that enables a species to compete better in the wild. Natural selection is
the naturalistic equivalent to domestic breeding. Over the centuries, human breeders have
produced dramatic changes in domestic animal populations by selecting individuals to breed.
Breeders eliminate undesirable traits gradually over time. Similarly, natural selection eliminates
inferior species gradually over time.
The theory of evolution by natural selection, first formulated in Darwin's book "On the Origin of
Species" in 1859, is the process by which organisms change over time as a result of changes in
heritable physical or behavioral traits. Changes that allow an organism to better adapt to its
environment will help it survive and have more offspring.

Evolution by natural selection is one of the best substantiated theories in the history of science,
supported by evidence from a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including paleontology,
geology, genetics and developmental biology.

The theory has two main points, said Brian Richmond, curator of human origins at the American
Museum of Natural History in New York City. "All life on Earth is connected and related to each
other," and this diversity of life is a product of "modifications of populations by natural
selection, where some traits were favored in and environment over others," he said.

More simply put, the theory can be described as "descent with modification," said Briana
Pobiner, an anthropologist and educator at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of
Natural History in Washington, D.C., who specializes in the study of human origins.
The theory is sometimes described as "survival of the fittest," but that can be misleading,
Pobiner said. Here, "fitness" refers not to an organism's strength or athletic ability, but rather
the ability to survive and reproduce.