On the Origin of Species, published on 24 November 1859, is a work of
scientific literature by
Charles Darwin which is considered to be the foundation of
evolutionary biology. Its full title was
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. In the 1872 sixth edition "On" was omitted, so the full title is
The origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. This edition is usually known as
The Origin of Species. Darwin's book introduced the scientific theory that populations
evolve over the course of generations through a process of
natural selection. It presented a body of evidence that
the diversity of life arose by
common descent through a
branching pattern of evolution. Darwin included evidence that he had gathered on
the Beagle expedition in the 1830s and his subsequent findings from research, correspondence, and experimentation.