Darwin was not the first to consider evolution as a process, but he provided the first effective explanation of how it happens. Describe Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection. Darwin was not the first to consider the process of evolution and provided the first effective explanation of how it occurs. Darwin's theory of evolution changed scientific thinking by which he called it "natural selection". This happened because he began to question previous ideas about the natural world. Natural selection is the “process by which random evolutionary changes are selected by nature in a consistent, orderly, and non-random manner” (What is natural selection?, 2013). It is a process that occurs from generation to generation (heredity) and is influenced by many factors present in nature. Nature can be a dangerous place to live. Nature is capable of selection. Perhaps not direct control or selection, but rather indirect selection by nature. For example, some of these factors in nature can be germs (because they kill), animals (they can eat you), death from heat exhaustion and/or exposure to cold. Over generations, creatures can become increasingly adapted to survival in their specific environments through natural selection. The process of descent with modification comes into play because it is where new traits are produced randomly as nature decides which new traits to keep. Positive changes occur over time and across multiple generations (Evolution and Natural Selection, 2010). Explain how this theory was a major advance over previous ideas about how organisms changed over time. Evolutionary ideas were proposed and debated long before the advent of Darwin. Darwin did not discover evolution but rather proposed... middle of paper... disasters such as the recent typhoon in the Philippines, which killed large numbers of individuals; the result is a dramatic reduction in population size, which in turn affects genetic variation. Finally there is gene flow, which is when individuals migrate between populations, this brings more genetic variation. Works cited Evolution and natural selection. (October 10, 2010). indefinite. In the University of Michigan Global Change Curriculum. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/selection/selection.html.Pre-Darwinian Evolutionary Thought. (2009). In Charles Darwin and Evolution. Retrieved December 3, 2013, from http://darwin200.christs.cam.ac.uk/pages/What is Natural Selection?. (2013). In clearly stated. Retrieved December 3, 2013, from http://www.statedclearly.com/natural-selection/