Natural Selection vs Artificial Selection

Artificial selection involves deliberate human intervention to influence the evolutionary trajectory of a population, aiming to produce specific desired traits or outcomes. It resembles the selective breeding carried out by humans to produce a desired evolutionary response, such as the process commonly employed in breeding various domesticated animals such as racehorses, greyhounds, pigeons, and cattle. Similar to how a breeder relies on their expertise and judgement to choose which animals to mate or include in breeding programs, a designer can exercise their judgment and experience to select genetic variants for further refinement and experimentation. While 'Natural selection' can be used to optimise the quantifiable criteria, the process can be periodically interrupted to make more intuitive decisions based on the designer's personal preferences, a practice referred to as 'artificial selection'.