Antonio Lazcano, a biology professor at the Science Faculty at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City,has studied the origin and early evolution of life for more than 30 years.He was trained both as an undergraduate and graduate student at UNAM,where he focused on the study of prebiotic evolution and the emergence of life. An academic deeply committed to public education, he has devoted considerable efforts to scientific journalism and teaching.He is the author of several books published in Spanish,including The Origin of Life,first printed in 1984 and which has become a bestseller with more than 600,000 copies sold.He is an avid promoter of evolutionary biology and the study of the origins of life in Latin America,and has been professor-in-residence or visiting scientist in France,Spain, Cuba, Switzerland, Russia, and the United States. In addition, he has served on many international advisory and review boards,including ones for NASA and other international organizations.He has just been reelected president of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life,the first Latin American scientist to occupy this position.