Darwin’s manuscripts devoted to the study of humans throw much new light on the development of the Descent of Man, his most prominent book after the Origin, as well as on the development of the Expression of Emotions. While compiled largely from the research of others, rather than a product of his own experiments, nevertheless the evidence of man’s close relation to other animals offered Darwin a second area for the concentrated empirical application of evolution. Descent also includes the theory of sexual selection, an important extension of natural selection in animals.
Explore Human Evolution manuscripts.