A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF CHARLES DARWIN’S THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES: EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION

Abstract

Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species (1859) fundamentally transformed the scientific understanding of biology, marking the inception of evolutionary biology as a scientific discipline. The central premise of the book is the theory of evolution by natural selection, where organisms best adapted to their environments survive and reproduce, passing their advantageous traits to subsequent generations. Darwin meticulously outlined evidence from diverse fields such as geology, embryology, paleontology, and comparative anatomy to support his arguments. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the book's core principles, including variation, the struggle for existence, and the survival of the fittest. Furthermore, this article evaluates the impact of Darwin’s work on the scientific community, the social and philosophical implications of his theories, and its ongoing influence in modern evolutionary biology. Despite the initial controversies surrounding Darwin’s ideas, The Origin of Species laid the groundwork for understanding biodiversity, adaptation, and speciation