Though Darwin lacked the modern understanding of genetics (DNA wouldn't be understood for another century), his core principles remain the bedrock of modern biology. Today, evolutionary science informs everything from how we fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria to how we understand the human genome.
Individuals within a population have different traits. Inheritance: These traits can be passed to offspring. Charles Darwin: Origin of Species
The foundation for the book was laid decades earlier during Darwin’s five-year voyage on the . While surveying the Galápagos Islands, he noticed subtle differences between finches and tortoises on different islands. These observations led him to a radical conclusion: species are not fixed. They change over time to suit their environments. The Mechanism: Natural Selection Though Darwin lacked the modern understanding of genetics
Darwin’s genius lay in identifying how this change happened. He called it . The logic was simple but brutal: Inheritance: These traits can be passed to offspring
The Book That Changed Everything: Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species