In this potent book, three eminent scientists—an astrophysicist, an organic chemist, and an anthropologist—ponder and discuss some of the basic questions that have obsessed humankind through the ages, and offer thoughtful, enlightening answers in terms the layperson can easily understand. Until now, most of these questions were addressed by religion and philosophy. But science has reached a point where it, too, can voice an opinion. Beginning with the Big Bang roughly fifteen billion years ago, the authors trace the evolution of the cosmos, from the first particles, the atoms, the molecules, the development of cells, organisms, and living creatures, up to the arrival of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. Proactive, informative, and free of technical or scientific jargon, Origins offers compelling insights into how the universe, life on Earth, and the human species began.

Yves Coppens is an author and anthropologist and was part of the team that discovered Lucy. He lives in France.

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Hubert Reeves was born in Montreal and resides in France where he is a Director of Research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. He is also a well-known popularizer of science and appears frequently on French television. He has authored many books that are bestsellers in France, including Atoms of Silence (1985), and The Hour of Our Delight (1990).

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Dominique Simonnet is a journalist and author. He lives in France.

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Joel de Rosnay is the former director of the famed Pasteur Institute and is currently president of Biotics International, a major consulting company that specializes in the impact of new technologies on industries. He lives in France.

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