How could something as seemingly transcendental as the human mind have arisen from far simpler material beginnings? This book provides a comprehensiveoverview of evolution from pre-life andearly life forms through increasing complexity to advanced cognitive systems using a new framework based ondynamic systems theory."

Applying multimodal textual analysis to the languages and images of on-line communication forms, Kay Richardson shows, from an applied linguistic perspective, how the Internet is being used for global, interactive communication about public health risks. Detailed case studies of the possible risks posed by SARS, by mobile phones and by the vaccination of babies against childhood diseases are situated within the context of research on computer-mediated communication, as well as within the broader social context of globalization and discourses of risk and trust.

Exploring the forms and meanings of mediated politics beyond the news cycle, this book encompasses genres drawn from television, radio, the press and the internet, assessing their individual and collective contribution to contemporary political culture through textual analysis and thematic review.