Steven Benner is a Distinguished Fellow at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FfAME) and one of the founders of the field of Synthetic Biology. Dr. Benner is the author of more than 200 peer reviewed scientific articles and the book "Life, the Universe, and the Scientific Method."

Albert Erives is a Professor of Genomics at the University of Iowa who studies, among myriad other topics, the theoretical biochemistry of early life on Earth. Dr. Erives is the author of the upcoming book "The Primordial Origin of Genetic Logic."

David Des Marais is the principal investigator of the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Ames Research Center team. He studies the geochemical evolution of the early Earth, has worked with lunar samples, and provides his expertise to the Mars exploratory missions.

Rosemary (Rosie) Redfield Ph.D., Professor, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia. Dr. Redfield's research program asks "Do bacteria have sex?" - put more scientifically, she investigates whether natural competence and other genetic exchange processes in bacteria exist for the same reasons as sexual reproduction in eukaryotes (Her answer is No.) She was also instrumental in the recent refutation of the NASA-funded claim that some bacteria have DNA with a backbone of arsenic.

Sarah Lindsay is a poet whose compositions frequently intersect with the natural sciences. She is the author of three books of poetry: Primate Behavior, Mount Clutter, and Twigs and Knucklebones.

Anne J. Lindberg is a Saint Louis-based artist whose recent work has been inspired by evolutionary phylogenetics. Her phylogeny-based art will be on display in MacBride Hall.