Raymond C. Valentine, Ph.D., is currently professor emeritus at the University of California Davis and visiting scholar in the Marine Science Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was also the scientific founder of Calgene Inc. (Davis, California), now a campus of Monsanto Inc. The author’s scientific interests involve the use of reductionism to address problems of fundamental scientific and societal importance, such as agricultural productivity and aging. Some of his scientific accomplishments include the discovery of ferredoxin, the identification and naming of the nitrogen fixation (nif) genes, and the development of Roundup®- resistance in crops. He holds B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.