On the Origin of Species
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Darwin proposed that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. Individual members of populations vary, but it is the characteristics of the most successful in any population that are disproportionately passed onto the next generation. Darwin provided evidence that diversity of life resulted from this inheritance of certain characteristics by the fittest through a branching pattern of evolution. He provided evidence for his theory, much of which was collected on his Beagle expedition. The Origin of the Species was published on 24 November 1859.
