In this volume, a distinguished team of international authorities reports on the latest research on the origins of the most fundamental features of our world. Martin Rees begins the book with a bang, the Big Bang that was the probable start of our universe. The contributors then focus on the origins of the solar system, material complexity and the human species. The volume ends with essays by John Maynard Smith on social behavior, Ernest Gellner on society and John Lyons on language. The first in The Darwin College Lectures, the book is derived from a highly successful series of lively public...

Evolution is a fundamental process that cuts across boundaries of art and science and has beguiled thinkers for ages. This collection of articles about all aspects of evolution is a feast of challenging ideas, drawing together world-renowned thinkers with their own intriguing insights. From the evolution of the developing embryo to the evolution of a developing star, common threads develop into a fascinating story with surprising implications. Line drawings.

Conflict, sadly, is part of our everyday life; experienced at home, in the workplace, on our TV screens. But is it an inevitable part of the fabric of our existence? In this volume, eight experts examine conflict at many levels, from the workings of genes to the evolution of galaxies. Evolutionary biologist David Haig examines why we disagree with ourselves, and psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen asks whether differences between the average male and female mind must necessarily lead to misunderstanding. Anthropologist Richard Wrangham explores why chimpanzees and humans have evolved to kill,...

Clusters and superclusters of galaxies are the largest objects in the Universe and are the subject of intense observational study at a variety of wavelengths, from radio to X-ray which has provoked much theoretical debate and advanced the understanding of the recent evolution of the large-scale structure the universe. The subject is reviewed in this volume by researchers who lectured at a NATO Advanced Study Institute held in Cambridge in July 1991. Much of the material is presented in a pedagogical manner and should be useful to scientists, astronomers and graduate students interested in...