The Origin of Species

First published on 24 November 1859, The Origin of Species (full title On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life) by British naturalist Charles Darwin is one of the pivotal works in scientific history, and arguably the pre-eminent work in biology. In it, Darwin makes "one long argument" for his theory that "groups" of organisms, (which we now call populations) rather than individual organisms, gradually evolve through the process of natural selection—a mechanism effectively introduced to the public at large by the book. The work presents detailed scientific evidence he had accumulated both on the Voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s and since his return, painstakingly laying out his theory and refuting the doctrine of "Created kinds" underlying the theories of Creation biology which were then widely accepted.

Related Topics:
24 November - 1859 - British - Charles Darwin - Scientific history - Biology - Theory - Organisms - Evolve - Natural selection - The Voyage of the Beagle - 1830s - Created kind - Creation biology

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Even for the non-specialist the book was quite readable (as it still is), and it attracted widespread interest. Although the ideas presented in it are now supported by overwhelming scientific evidence and are widely accepted by scientists today, they are still highly controversial particulary among non-scientists who perceive it to contradict literal interpretations of various religious texts (see Creation-evolution controversy).

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