Dimitar D. Sasselov, Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is the Director of the Harvard Origins Project. The project is an interdisciplinary center that studies planet formation, the detection of exoplanets, the origin and evolution of life, and other subjects. Sasselov, the author of the recently published book, The Life of Super-Earths (Basic Books, 2012), has spoken on the search for Earth-like planets at the renowned TED conferences and at other venues. Credit: Hubert Burda Media/Flickr