Wikipedia writes:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution.
The genetic variation within a population of organisms may cause some individuals to survive and reproduce more successfully than others. Factors that affect reproductive success are also important, an issue that Charles Darwin developed in his ideas on sexual selection.
Natural selection acts on the phenotype, or the observable characteristics of an organism, but the genetic (heritable) basis of any phenotype that gives a reproductive advantage will become more common in a population (see allele frequency). Over time, this process can result in adaptations that specialize populations for particular ecological niches and may eventually result in the emergence of new species. In other words, natural selection is an important process (though not the only process) by which evolution takes place within a population of organisms. As opposed to artificial selection, in which humans favor specific traits, in natural selection the environment acts as a sieve through which only certain variations can pass.
If in fact the above exercept from Wikepedia is correct my question to the scientific community is:
Is there actual data to support natural selection or is it a theory based upon Darwin's theory and what has been observed in the scientific studies since Darwin?
In other words, is natural selection something that can be examined under a microscope and documented or is it a belief in a process that under the discpline of science must be natural and need not be proven by the data?
Can you show me natural selection is not a planned process carried out by nature?
™ Version 4.2
(1)