Institut de recherche sur les lois fondamentales de l'Univers

The Universe is infinitely large and dramatically dark, apparently dominated by unknown components which make up most of the matter/energy budget. Fortunately, that tiny 4.6% of baryons act under the robust laws of nuclear physics and stellar evolution, theories which we can use to understand the bright side of the Universe. In this talk I shall discuss interpretative models for distant galaxies and illustrate the historical path that paved the way to modern calculations. I shall then use those models to infer conclusions on the formation and evolution of the most massive galaxies.