Here's why:
* Darwin's contribution: Darwin's 1859 book *On the Origin of Species* laid out the theory of evolution by natural selection in a comprehensive and well-supported way. He observed and documented how species change over time and proposed that this change occurs through a process of natural selection, where individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on those traits to their offspring.
* Alfred Russel Wallace: It's important to note that Alfred Russel Wallace independently came up with a similar theory of natural selection at around the same time as Darwin. He sent Darwin his findings, and Darwin realized they had arrived at similar conclusions. This led to a joint presentation of their ideas to the Linnean Society in 1858.
* Other contributions: While Darwin and Wallace are most famous for their work on natural selection, many other scientists, including Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Thomas Malthus, and others, made important contributions to the development of the theory.
Therefore, while Darwin is often called the "discoverer" of natural selection, it is more accurate to say that he, along with Wallace, formulated and popularized the theory.
