Correct Answer:
C. Darwin
The theory of evolution is a cornerstone of modern biology, explaining the diversity of life on Earth through natural processes over vast periods. Its development revolutionized scientific understanding of life's origins and development.
- C: Darwin, specifically Charles Darwin, is credited with developing the theory of evolution by natural selection. His seminal work, 'On the Origin of Species,' published in 1859, presented compelling evidence and a mechanism for evolutionary change.
- A: Maulana Hasan Ahmad Madani and B: Shabir Ahmad Usmani were prominent Islamic scholars, not figures in evolutionary biology.
- D: Mendeleev, Dmitri Mendeleev, is renowned for formulating the Periodic Law and creating the periodic table of elements in chemistry, not for the theory of evolution.