Definition of natural selection in US English:
natural selection
nounˈnætʃ(ə)rəl səˈlɛkʃənˈnaCH(ə)rəl səˈlekSHən
Biology The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin and is now believed to be the main process that brings about evolution.
Compare with survival of the fittest (see survival)
Example sentencesExamples
- They argue that advances in molecular biology suggest that natural selection is wrong.
- As in Darwin's theory of natural selection, a species must adjust to survive.
- The theory of evolution by natural selection is the unifying theory of biology.
- There are many excellent popular science books on the subject of evolution and natural selection.
- By a process of natural selection the better adapted individuals and species survived while the others died out.
- In fact, there is no real scientific evidence to refute natural selection as a valid theory.
- Charles Darwin's ideas on evolution through natural selection are the basis for these arguments.
- So genetic stock changes through natural selection rather than learning.
- The researchers do not know why natural selection favored human ancestors who could run long distances.
- In other words, these capacities are the outcome of evolution by natural selection.
- So, in terms of Biology, natural selection is based on genetic information.
- He says that adaptive fitness, produced by natural selection, is not necessarily related to survival value.
- Surely there's not enough intra-species competition for natural selection.
- This helps the market to evolve to become smarter over time through natural selection.
- Studying the Galapagos islands helped to inspire Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection.
- In other words, Darwinian processes of natural selection are now at play in the science media.
- You would expect natural selection to remove the unattractive variants.
- These traits and differences are said to have evolved in our ancestors via natural selection.