<P><BR>Richard Corfield is a scientist, science writer and broadcaster. He is Managing Director of the Science and Media Consultancy Hanborough Consultants based near Oxford in the UK. </P> <P>He has written three books on popular science: <EM>Architects of Eternity: The New Science of Fossils</EM>, <EM>The Silent Landscape: The Scientific Voyage of HMS Challenger</EM>, and most recently <EM>Lives of the Planets: A Natural History of the Solar System</EM>.</P> <P>Richard also contributes to popular science magazines, newspapers and radio (particularly <EM>In Our Time</EM> with Melvyn Bragg) as well TV. He is a regular contributor to the online magazines <EM>Astrobiology.net</EM> and <EM>Space.com</EM>.</P>