1. Natural selection

2. Theory of Natural Selection
Organisms produce more offspring than can survive.
In any given population, variations exist.
Individuals with certain “useful” or beneficial variations survive and pass on their variations to the next generation.
4. Over time, offspring with “beneficial” variations will make up most of the population.

3. Natural Selection
Darwin used his collections and observations to identify a mechanism for change in populations.
Darwin called this mechanism:
NATURAL SELECTION

4. Natural Selection is currently the best theory scientists have to explain the vast diversity of life on Earth and how populations change over time. In science, nothing can ever be proven as fact, there are no facts in science, only “best guesses”. These best guesses are based on current, verifiable, and testable evidence. We call a collection of evidence that fails to disprove a hypothesis—a theory. In fact, science can only be used to disprove not prove anything.