Barry Cox was formerly head of Biological Sciences at King’s College London. He was originally a vertebrate palaeontologist, but soon became also interested in the patterns of distribution of life in the past. He has published extensively on the relations between fossil distributions and plate tectonics, how and when the mammals dispersed across the planet, competing theories on how to interpret past patterns, and the basic patterns of life today at the worldwide level.

Peter Moore is a Reader in Ecology at King’s College London. He first trained as a botanist/biochemist, later turning to palaeoecology and vegetation history and, ultimately, wider ecological issues including global environmental change. He retains a particular interest in wetlands.