The attraction of selenium isotopes as a paleoenvironmental tracer lies in the high redox potential of selenium oxyanions (SeIV and SeVI), the dominant species in the modern ocean. The largest isotopic fractionations occur during oxyanion reduction, which makes selenium isotopes a sensitive proxy for the redox evolution of our planet. As a case study we review existing data from the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic, which show that significant isotopic fractionations are absent until 2.5 Ga, and prolonged isotopic deviations only appear around 2.3 Ga. Selenium isotopes have thus begun to reveal complex spatiotemporal redox patterns not reflected in other proxies.

In this accessible and groundbreaking work, Friedrich Kipp shows that childhood and youth--an extended period of nurture and protection from the struggle for existence--have been, and will continue to be, a necessary condition for human evolution. His observations confirm our intuitive feeling that this prolonged phase of human life holds the promise of our future. Kipp's comparative study of the juvenile stage in animals and humans also sheds surprising new light on the process of human evolution and our relation to the animal primates. In their earliest developmental stage, animals--and the animal primates in particular--display characteristics reminiscent of human children. However these more universal, humanlike characteristics are quickly lost as the animals adapt to specific ecological conditions. The animals' early closeness to the human form and their developmental trajectory away from the human suggests that the main trunk of the evolutionary tree is intimately associated with human evolution.

For too many years, youth ministry has been about keeping young people entertained in order to keep them out of trouble. Making Room contends that the primary purpose of youth ministry is to integrate young people into the body and mission of Christ. A lifelong youth ministry practitioner and researcher, Michael A. Kipp shares the narrative of his and others' experiences in order to help the church embrace and understand youth ministry more fully in practice, not just in theory. Kipp dares to dream beyond the normal youth ministry template to develop a whole-church system that grafts young people into a body they will want to be part of well into adulthood. Making Room shares research on adolescent development, the history of youth ministry, ideas for development of a robust, whole-church ministry that includes youth, and tips for effectively communicating this vision to the entire faith community.