John Medina, a molecular biologist and former professor at the University of Washington, is the founding director of the Talaris Research Institute in Seattle, a private research center dedicated to the issue of how babies learn, and the main sponsor of building the new Center for Mind, Brain and Learning at the University of Washington. During his university research career, Medina has, among other things, been involved in the isolation and characterization of genes involved in the development of the cardiovascular system. For some years he has devoted himself to science communication. His previous book "The Clock of Ages" has been much praised.