Few scientists have been as influential or as controversial as Charles Darwin has. He is considered by many to be the father of the theory of evolution. He knew that there was a great deal of variation among members of a species and that some of these variation made individuals more fit to survive, while it doomed others to be weaker and less likely to survive. His theory of evolution by "natural selection" reinvented modern biology in all of its branches and has sent shock waves throughout the religious world. If Darwin was alive today, and in light of the advances that have been made in modern medicine, he may have to look at things slightly differently. The ability to change those that are "selected for" the advancement and survival of a species has evolved with advances in treating medical conditions *(Caporale, 2003, pg 12). Many medical conditions that were thought of as fatal, during Darwin's lifetime, are now considered treatable and preventable.
             In defense of Charles Darwin, he did not know anything of the underling mechanisms that caused the variations amongst individuals within a species. He did not know about genes nor did he have today's knowledge of what has been learned from through the human genome project. He never saw the DNA double helix, nor did he ever have the ability to look at the sequencing of the human genome – the secret codes of human life. What has been learned since Darwin's time has substantially deepened our understanding of how evolution might happen through natural selection and how it can be altered to eliminate deficiencies.
             Darwin's theory of evolution was based on the assumption that variations in species were the result of environmental or quirks of nature – a chance happening. His conclusions were that these variations resulted from three assumptions. The first assumption is that to aid in the survival of the species, natural sel...