Talk:Natural selection

Historical development
During the sixteenth-century, the jesuit scientist José de Acosta studied natural history issues in South America. In his work: The naturall and moral historie of the East and West Indies he already studied that animal and human species can indeed adapt to the environment by natural accidents, and not only due to divine causes. This work is thought to somehow have influenced the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt as he could have studied scholars from the School of Salamanca. 150.214.205.85 (talk) 13:41, 9 February 2023 (UTC)


 * Interesting. How? Is there evidence for such influence? And then we'd need to cite evidence that Humboldt influenced Darwin, something that surely is worth mentioning. Chiswick Chap (talk) 14:01, 9 February 2023 (UTC)
 * "The of Ancient Scholars on Natural Selection Insights from Al-Masudi's 'The Meadows of' and Other Notable Thinkers" Mroaneo (talk) 23:30, 28 October 2023 (UTC)

The underlying force driving Natural selection is in mathematics.
“Pressure” is a key word when we talk about evolution. And it took me a long time to figure out what natural law is meant by "pressure".

“Probability” should have a prominent role in the “Natural Selection” article. I propose to start the article as follows:

Natural selection is the probabilistically pressured selection of individual survival and reproduction due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Charles Darwin popularised the term "natural selection", contrasting it with artificial selection, which in his view is intentional, whereas natural selection is not. Formatcells (talk) 00:53, 15 February 2023 (UTC)


 * Thank you for your ideas. However, the lead section is just a summary of the article. It is not a place to introduce 'new' ideas. Actually, Wikipedia is not a place for new ideas either. That is called "original research" and it is forbidden here. The ideas in the article are cited to reliable sources, and the lead then summarizes the resulting description, i.e. the order is sources - main text - lead. Best we leave it alone. Chiswick Chap (talk) 04:22, 15 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure this is WP:OR. The article does use the phrase probability of surviving to adulthood. Do any sources say probabilistic in their definitions? Invasive Spices (talk) 21:21, 19 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Um, well it sure looks like it. Proposing to rewrite the lead of a mature and formally-reviewed article without having first contributed new sources is certainly an odd thing to do, and looks very much like putting the OR-cart before the RS-horse. The lead has been developed over many years by multiple editors, based on the cited text in the body of the article, which is in turn based on a wealth of evidence. As such it is probably best left alone unless there is pressing reason, supported by new sources, or an obvious mistake in summarising the article body. Chiswick Chap (talk) 22:12, 19 February 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 October 2023
"The of Ancient Scholars on Natural Selection Insights from Al-Masudi's 'The Meadows of' and Other Notable Thinkers"

In his famous book "The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems," also known as "The Meadows of Gold," Al-Masudi ( 10th century ) discussed various scientific topics, including plants and animals. He talked about evolution and the diversity of life, emphasizing how living organisms adapt to their surroundings. One of the concepts he addressed is natural selection, highlighting the occurrence of genetic changes that have been selected to suit the prevailing conditions.

Furthermore, here is a list of some ancient scientists who discussed ideas related to natural selection:

1. Al-Jahiz: Abu Uthman Amr ibn Bahr al-Kinani al-Fuqaimi al-Basri, commonly known as Al-Jahiz, was an Arab scholar of the 9th century. He wrote extensively on various subjects, including zoology. In his book "Kitab al-Hayawan" (The Book of Animals), Al-Jahiz observed and described the characteristics of animals, including adaptation to the environment. Check Picture on Wikipedia  : A giraffe from Kitāb al-ḥayawān (Book of the Animals) by the 9th century naturalist Al-Jahiz

2. Ibn Miskawayh: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ya'qub ibn Miskawayh was a Persian scholar from the 10th century. He wrote the book "Tajarib al-Umam" (Experiences of Nations), in which he discussed the adaptation and natural selection of living beings based on their physical traits and behaviors.

3. Ibn Sina (Avicenna): Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abd Allah ibn Sina, commonly known as Ibn Sina, was a Persian polymath of the 10th and 11th centuries. In his medical encyclopedia "The Canon of Medicine," Ibn Sina discussed elements of natural selection and adaptation.

Please note that while these ancient scientists discussed ideas related to natural selection, it is important to acknowledge that Charles Darwin is credited with formulating the theory of natural selection and his work in "On the Origin of Species" (1859) laid the foundation for modern evolutionary biology. Mroaneo (talk) 23:34, 28 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate.  Wandering  Morpheme   02:13, 30 October 2023 (UTC)