AARON R. DINNER received his bachelor’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University, after which he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford and the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the faculty at The University of Chicago in 2003. STUART A. RICE received his master’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University and was a junior fellow at Harvard for two years before joining the faculty of The University of Chicago in 1957, where he is currently the Frank P. Hixon Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus.

• Part I The Emergence and Breakdown of Complexity Features of Complexity 3by Ronnie KosloffExploring Quantum-Classical Boundary 19by Kenji OhmoriTransition from Atoms to Clusters to Condensed Matter 25by Julius JellinekFree Energies of Staging a Scenario and Perpetual Motion Machines of the Third Kind 43by Peter Salamon, Bjarne Andresen, Karl Heinz Hoffmann, James D. Nulton, Anca M. Segall, and Forest L. RohwerFinite-Time Thermodynamics Tools to Analyze Dissipative Processes 57by Karl Heinz Hoffmann, Bjarne Andresen, and Peter SalamonNew Types of Complexity in Chemical Kinetics: Intersections, Coincidences, and Special Symmetrical Relationships 69by G. S. Yablonsky, D. Constales, and G. B. MarinOpportunities in the Area of Noise in Biological Reaction Networks 75by Aaron R. DinnerThermodynamic Approach to Chemical Networks 85by G. Nicolis and C. NicolisOn the Emergence of Simple Structures in Complex Phenomena: Concepts and Some Numerical Examples 97by Martin QuackThe Emergence of Simplicity from Complexity 119by John D. Weeks and John C. TullyPart II Dynamics at ExtremesOn the Way to a Theory of Solid State Synthesis: Issues and Open Questions 125by J. Christian SchönBeyond Molecular Conduction: Optical and Thermal Effects in Molecular Junctions 135by Abraham NitzanThermal Conductance at the Interface Between Molecules 159by David M. LeitnerLaser Energy Deposition in Nanodroplets and Nuclear Fusion Driven by Coulomb Explosion 165by Andreas HeidenreichUnderstanding Ultraintense x-ray Interactions with Matter 183by Linda YoungTime-Dependent Computational Methods for Matter Under Extreme Conditions 195by Barry I. Schneider, Klaus R. Bartschat, Xiaoxu Guan, David Feder, and Lee A. CollinsElementary Excitations in Ultracold Finite Systems 215by John WeinerPart III Grand QuestionsOn Biomolecular Homochirality as a Quasi-Fossil of the Evolution of Life 249by Martin QuackOrigins of Life 293by Sydney LeachAuthor Index 315Subject Index 343