Marcelo Gleiser is the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth College. He graduated from the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and obtained his Ph.D. from King's College London in 1986. Author of over 100 peer-reviewed articles, Gleiser is a world-renowned cosmologist. His research focuses on the physics of the early universe, the emergence of complexity and the origin of life. Gleiser is also the author of three books exploring the religious and cultural roots of science. His latest, A Tear at the Edge of Creation: A radical new vision for life in an imperfect universe (Free Press 2010) was published in 12 languages. He is also a frequent presence in science documentaries in the US and abroad and the co-founder of the National Public Radio blog 13.7 on science and culture.