Description
Book SynopsisOffers a look into how the characteristics of the physical world drive the designs of animals and plants. This title contains information related to functional biology. Drawing examples from creatures of land, air, and water, it demonstrates the many uses of biological diversity and how physical forces impact biological organisms.
Trade Review"If what you desire in a readable science book is food for thought, Glimpses of Creatures in their Physical Worlds provides a feast. Biologists, engineers, and physicists--indeed, anyone with curiosity about the natural world--will revel in this smorgasbord of biomechanical ideas."--Mark Denny, American Scientist "Such a book could be written only by someone with a rich knowledge of biomechanics, and Vogel, an emeritus professor of biology at Duke University, fits the bill. Considered one of the founders of the biomechanics community in the US, his distinguished research career has focused on organism-fluid interactions and such diverse topics as the behavior of leaves in the wind, passive ventilation of prairie-dog burrows, and airflow through the branching antennae of some moths. His breadth of knowledge is clearly reflected in the examples presented and the creative thought embodied in Glimpses of Creatures in Their Physical Worlds. Vogel uses the same approachable, entertaining writing style... [T]his book is sure to serve as an inspiring entry into the field of biomechanics."--Stacey Combes, Physics Today "It is a fine book and emphasizes important relationships too often neglected."--Choice "As ever, Vogel is inspiring and his insights are remarkable."--Henry Bennet-Clark, BioScience
Table of ContentsPreface vii Chapter One: Two Ways to Move Material 1 Chapter Two: The Bioballistics of Small Projectiles 18 Chapter Three: Getting Up to Speed 39 Chapter Four: Moving Heat Around 58 Chapter Five: Maintaining Temperature 80 Chapter Six: Gravity and Life in the Air 95 Chapter Seven: Gravity and Life on the Ground 116 Chapter Eight: Gravity and Life in Water 141 Chapter Nine: Making and Maintaining Liquid Water 164 Chapter Ten: Pumping Fluids through Conduits 184 Chapter Eleven: To Twist or Bend When Stressed 209 Chapter Twelve: Keeping Up Upward and Down Downward 232 List of Symbols 259 References and Index of Citations 263 Index 289
