viduals who are best suited for the struggle, and these individuals in turn reproduce more than those who are less fit, thus changing the composition of the population. In addition to natural selection, Darwin also suggested that species also evolve through the complementary process of sexual selection.(Wilson, 1999)According to Darwin, in sexual selection, one gender of a species develops a preference for individuals of the other gender who possess certain features. The individuals who possess these features will than have a reproductive advantage over others, resulting in a greater number of offspring, and thus, again, a change in the composition of the population.(Poirier, McKee, 1999) Therefore, it was Darwin who made the theory of evolution feasible by providing the mechanisms of natural and sexual selection. The possibility of a feasible theory of evolution made the idea more acceptable by the scientific community, although there were those that still opposed it.Darwins Formative YearsCharles Darwin was born in England in 1809 and belonged to a wealthy and respectable family. His grandfather, Erasamus Darwin, was a noted botanical expert in his day who published two important books, Zoonomia, and the Botanic Garden. In these books, Erasamus speculated about various evolutionary ideas that were dismissed as too radical (i.e., the nose of the swine has become hard for the purpose of turning up the soil in search of insects and roots). Darwin who in his youth read his grandfathers books with admiration, later commented that his grandfather anticipated the views and erroneous grounds of opinion of Lamarck. Nevertheless, Erasamus may have unconsciously influenced Darwin in preparing the way for evolution by natural selection.(Darwin, 1958) In 1818, at the age of 9, Darwin entered the Shrewsbury school, which was ran by Dr. Butler. Darwin later recalled that nothing could have been worse for the development of my mind than Dr. Butlers ...
