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.
Darwin’s genius lay in identifying how this change happened. He called it . The logic was simple but brutal: Charles Darwin: Origin of Species
At the time, the prevailing belief was "Natural Theology"—the idea that every creature was perfectly designed by a creator and remained unchanged since the beginning of time. Darwin’s theory of —the idea that all life is related through a massive "tree of life"—removed the need for a supernatural designer to explain the complexity of nature. A Lasting Legacy Though Darwin lacked the modern understanding of genetics
The Book That Changed Everything: Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species He called it
Individuals within a population have different traits. Inheritance: These traits can be passed to offspring.