The Origin of Species
/ði ˌɒrɪdʒɪn əv ˈspiːʃiːz/
/ði ˌɔːrɪdʒɪn əv ˈspiːʃiːz/
- the short title which many people use to refer to On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859) by Charles Darwin. In it he explained his theory of evolution (= the development of different life forms over millions of years). When it was published, all the copies were sold on the first day. His theory caused a lot of anger at that time, but its main ideas now form the basis of scientific understanding of the subject.