[ARandomerDude]

> Darwin didn't just say "evolution happens", he demonstrated it.

Not really. He described the idea in greater detail, but he didn't demonstrate it. It's actually quite similar to the pre-Socratics in that way.

[beambot]

Darwin performed hybridization experiments that demonstrated the principles, and the topic appeared as a section in Origin of Species. However, Darwin's experiments lacked statistical rigor -- he didn't do enough variations to make statistical assertions. This gap was later adeptly filled by Mendel. Freeman Dyson did a wonderful lecture on this topic right before his passing, which covered various forms of biological & cultural evolution spanning Darwin to present:

https://www.ias.edu/news/in-the-media/freeman-dyson-biologic...

If you want an alternate source:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41437-019-0289-9

[kadoban]

He formalized it as a theory that could then be tested, reviewed for internal consistency, used to model/explain the world, etc.

Yeah I wouldn't call what he did primarily demonstrating, but gets you on that path (and IIRC he had several examples to point to for concepts).

[debbiedowner]

He did in his book. He gives instructions for how to perform his plant hybridization experiments in your own garden.

[Terr_]

On the subject of demonstrations-in-the-lab, there's an interesting experiment that's been tracking and sampling some E.Coli since 1988.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli_long-term_evolution_ex...

[goto11]

He did refer to experiments which demonstrates "natural" selection in action, like pidgeon breeding.