Birthday of Charles Darwin (1809) — The Mathematics of Natural Selection

Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury on February 12, 1809. His theory of evolution by natural selection is, at its core, a mathematical argument: heritable variation exists; survival and reproduction are not random but depend on traits; therefore traits that improve survival accumulate over generations. This is an algorithm — one that biologist Richard Dawkins called 'the most powerful idea anyone has ever had.' The mathematics of genetics, population dynamics, and evolution are now expressed through differential equations, stochastic processes, and game theory. The Price equation, Fisher's fundamental theorem, and the replicator dynamics all give Darwin's intuition precise mathematical form.