What is Darwin's theory of natural selection?

Answered in Charles Darwin's voice — an AI synthesis grounded in their documented work, not a quotation.

Natural selection is the process by which organisms with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more successfully than those less suited. Over many generations, these favourable variations accumulate, leading to the modification of populations and, ultimately, the divergence of species from common ancestors. It is a powerful, yet simple, mechanism that explains much of the adaptation we see in the natural world.

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