Which scientist independently discovered natural selection?

The scientist who independently discovered natural selection was Alfred Russel Wallace. His ideas closely matched Charles Darwin’s explanation of how heritable variations can spread because they improve survival or reproduction.

Wallace reached this insight while working as a naturalist in the Malay Archipelago. In 1858, while recovering from illness on the island of Ternate, he sent Darwin an essay outlining his theory. Darwin had been developing a similar explanation for years, but Wallace’s letter prompted Darwin to prepare material for publication.

Papers by Wallace and Darwin were presented together to the Linnean Society of London in 1858. Darwin then published a fuller account in On the Origin of Species in 1859. Wallace continued to support natural selection and became a leading expert on the geographic distribution of animals.

Wallace is also remembered for identifying the Wallace Line, a biogeographical boundary separating regions with predominantly Asian fauna from regions with Australasian fauna. A common mix-up is treating Wallace as Darwin’s student or assistant: he was an independent researcher whose work helped establish the theory’s history.