Who developed the theory of Natural Selection that is accepted today?

• A. Charles Darwin
• B. Alfred Russel Wallace
• C. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
• D. Gregor Mendel

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is who developed the mechanism by which evolution occurs. Natural selection is the process where individuals with traits that help them survive and reproduce leave more offspring, so those favorable traits become more common over generations. Charles Darwin spent years collecting evidence and proposing how this mechanism could drive the diversity of life, and he and Alfred Russel Wallace independently conceived similar ideas. Because Darwin did the extensive work, published a comprehensive account, and solidified the theory in his writings, the name most associated with the theory today is Darwin. Lamarck proposed that organisms could pass on traits acquired during their lives, but that idea isn’t supported by how inheritance actually works. Mendel showed how genetic patterns are inherited, which is essential for biology, but his work explains inheritance rather than the mechanism of natural selection itself.