Under a Crimson Sun

David S. Stevenson studied molecular biology at Glasgow and Cambridge Universities. He has a BSc Honours 1st Class Glasgow University; a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Cambridge University; Open University - Astronomy and Planetary Sciences (distinction), and Open University, Geophysics and Geochemistry. His peer-reviewed biological research articles from 1999 to 2003 include a paper on the early development of life, The Origin of Translation, published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology.  David's interest in astronomy was encouraged from an early age by his father. This (combined with an interest in explosions!) has led David to research and write about the life and death of stars.  After a stint in academia David became a teacher but continued to write science articles for various publications. He has published numerous articles on the Blackwell Plant Sciences website (2002-2007). Turning Out the Lights (an article about red dwarfs) was published in Popular Astronomy in 2003, A Bigger Bang (about Type Ia Supernovae) in Sky & Telescope last July, with Exceptional Explosions (also for Sky & Telescope) currently in production. He is currently writing another book for Springer on what he terms ultranovas, which are a type of supernova. David lives in Nottingham in the UK with his wife and family.