Development: Mechanisms of Change

This volume collects essays from prominent intellectuals and public figures based on talks given at the 2015 Darwin College Lectures on the theme of 'development'. The writers are world-renowned experts in such diverse fields as architecture, astronomy, biology, climate science, economy, psychology, sports and technology. Development includes contributions from developmental biologist and Nobel laureate John B. Gurdon, Olympic gold medallist Katherine Grainger, astronomer and cosmologist Richard Ellis, developmental psychologist Bruce Hood, former Met Office Chief Scientist Julia Slingo, architect Michael Pawlyn, development economist Ha-Joon Chang and serial entrepreneur Hermann Hauser. While their perspectives and interpretations of development vary widely, their essays are linked by a common desire to describe and understand how things change, usually in the direction of ever-increasing complexity. Written with the lay reader in mind, this interdisciplinary book is a must-read for anybody interested in the mechanisms underlying the changes we see in the world around us.

Torsten Krude is a University Senior Lecturer in Cell Biology at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow at Darwin College. His research on the regulation of DNA replication in human cells has been widely published in leading international journals. In 2012, he received the prestigious Pilkington Prize for excellence in teaching by the University of Cambridge. He oversees the Darwin College Lecture Series and is also responsible for the development of the College Gardens.

Sara T. Baker joined the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge in 2011. She performs basic research on cognitive development in the preschool years, when children learn about a constantly changing world, and translates this research into educational contexts. Her projects have been funded by the Newton Trust, the ESRC, and the LEGO Foundation. She is a Deputy Dean at Darwin College and a member of the College Council.