Pierre M. Durand's first real exposure to biology was as an undergraduate student. Taking a shortcut to a physics lecture via the Zoology Department led to a serendipitous encounter with an exhibit on adaptive radiation in cichlids. A fascination with evolutionary biology began. He is an alumnus of King’s College, London, and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he is currently reader in evolutionary biology. This is his first book.