Darwins theory of evolution - Essay Example

Charles Darwin was a Victorian naturalist from England who is credited with being the first scientist to develop a good theory of evolution. This theory was published in 1859 in the book On The Origin of Species, which was received with horror by some and admiration by others. Eventually, Darwins theory of evolution became considered factual, or at least a good basis to develop evolutionary theory from.Darwins theory of evolution proposes that all life on Earth is related to each other and has all descended from a common ancestor.

The reason for the diversity in life comes from natural selection, essentially meaning that those organisms of a species that are best suited to their environment are more likely to succeed in reproduction. Due to this, the traits of those individuals that ensure that they are best suited to their environment become more frequent in the population and can eventually become the norm for that species. Darwin came up with this theory with no knowledge of genetics.It is interesting to see this theory be put to work, as although genetics and genome theory have altered and adapted Darwins theory, the basic principles are the same.

In the recent National Geographic article, for example, an article about the domestication of the silver Siberian fox. Nine generations ago, the relatives of the silver foxes at this farm were wild, but now they crave human attention like a Labrador. The researchers here have been selectively breeding the foxes with the traits most desirable in a pet – friendliness, loyalty and companionship. The speed at which they have become similar to standard domestic dogs has shocked the researchers. This is exactly what Darwin found and expressed in his book The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, showing that Darwin recognized this capability when developing his theory of evolution.