  We compare the history of the galaxy mass build-up, as inferred from near-IR
observations, and the Star Formation Rate of massive stars in the comoving
volume traced by deep extensive far-IR surveys, both possible now with the
Spitzer Space Telescope. These two independent and complementary approaches to
the history of galaxy formation consistently indicate that a wide interval of
cosmic epochs between z~0.7 to z~2 brackets the main evolutionary phases. The
rate of the integrated galaxy mass growth indicated by the IR-based comoving
SFR appears consistent with the observed decrease of the stellar mass densities
with redshift. There are also indications that the evolution with z of the
total population depends on galaxy mass, being stronger for moderate-mass, but
almost absent up to z=1.4 for high-mass galaxies, thus confirming previous
evidence for a "downsizing" effect in galaxy formation. The most massive
galaxies appear already mostly in place by z~1. Although a precise matching of
this galaxy build-up with the growth of nuclear super-massive black-holes is
not possible with the present data (due to difficulties for an accurate census
of the obscured AGN phenomenon), some preliminary indications reveal a similar
mass/luminosity dependence for AGN evolution as for the hosting galaxies.

Astrophysics