Darwin in Dispute: Evolution Might Not be Fittest Explanation

  Charles Darwin

The phrase “survival of the fittest” has been engrained in the psyche of the modern era since biologist Charles Darwin presented it as a critical driver behind the concept of evolution in his book On the Origin of Species in 1859.

Darwin’s idea was that the vast diversity of life descended from a single common ancestor because of two factors:

1. Random mutations in the DNA code (blueprint of life) over time;
2. The passing along of only the most “helpful” mutations to future offspring as determined by the environment – also called natural selection.

These two factors contributed to the basis for “survival of the fittest,” which simply means that the best gene pool has an advantage when competing for scarce resources whether that’s food, shelter, a reproductive mate or any other life need.

Interestingly, new research out of the University of Bristol in the UK suggests that competition was NOT a key factor in evolution as reported by BBC News online [click the link below for the full story].

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11063939

Basically, the new study found that a more likely driver of changes in species was the availability of “livable space” and a favorable habitat, rather than competition.