---
id: kb-2026-00331
title: Evolution by Natural Selection
schema_type: TechArticle
category: science
language: en
confidence: medium
last_verified: "2026-05-28"
created_date: "2026-05-22"
generation_method: ai_assisted
ai_models:
  - claude-opus
derived_from_human_seed: true
conflict_of_interest: none_declared
is_live_document: false
data_period: static
atomic_facts:
  - id: fact-evolution-1
    statement: >-
      Darwin's On the Origin of Species argued that natural selection can explain adaptation and
      diversification.
    source_title: On the Origin of Species
    source_url: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1228
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-evolution-2
    statement: >-
      The Linnean Society describes Darwin and Wallace as independently developing the idea of evolution by
      natural selection.
    source_title: Darwin and Wallace
    source_url: https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-were-darwin-and-wallace
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-evolution-3
    statement: >-
      Britannica describes modern evolutionary theory as combining natural selection with genetics and
      population-level processes.
    source_title: "Evolution: Modern conceptions"
    source_url: https://www.britannica.com/science/evolution-scientific-theory/Modern-conceptions
    confidence: medium
completeness: 0.84
known_gaps:
  - This compact repair keeps only source-mapped public claims from the sampled audit entry.
disputed_statements: []
primary_sources:
  - title: On the Origin of Species
    type: book
    year: 1859
    url: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1228
    institution: Project Gutenberg
    authors:
      - Charles Darwin
  - title: Darwin and Wallace
    type: reference
    year: 2026
    url: https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-were-darwin-and-wallace
    institution: The Linnean Society of London
  - title: "Evolution: Modern conceptions"
    type: reference
    year: 2026
    url: https://www.britannica.com/science/evolution-scientific-theory/Modern-conceptions
    institution: Encyclopaedia Britannica
secondary_sources: []
updated: "2026-05-28"
---

## TL;DR

Natural selection explains how heritable variation can affect survival and reproduction over generations. This repair removes repeated facts and keeps the neutral-theory debate out of the sampled claim set.

## Core Explanation

The previous version mixed broad, duplicate, future, or mismatched evidence. The repaired entry keeps three public claims that map directly to the listed primary sources.

## Further Reading

- [On the Origin of Species](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1228)
- [Darwin and Wallace](https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-were-darwin-and-wallace)
- [Evolution: Modern conceptions](https://www.britannica.com/science/evolution-scientific-theory/Modern-conceptions)