Evolution explained clearly
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| Charles Darwin, late 1830s |
The theory of evolution says that if some members of a group of organisms - plants or animals - are by chance better equipped to cope with a particular hardship, and then go on to reproduce; then their offspring will on average also be better at surviving that hardship, and the following generations even more so. The population as a whole becomes better and better adapted to thrive in a given situation or niche. Nearby populations may find themselves facing different pressures, and will adapt in a different direction, eventually leading to the formation of two or more species where once there was one.
Charles Darwin
In November 1859 Charles Darwin published his famous book, which is usually known as 'The Origin of Species' - its full title was 'On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.'
Darwin had been employed in the 1830's as a geologist and naturalist on board the HMS Beagle, on a five-year expedition from Plymouth, England across the Atlantic, around South America, across the Pacific to Australasia, around the southern tip of Africa, and back to England.
