Life's Devices
The Physical World of Animals and Plants
Published on 27. May 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-0-691-27058-6 (ISBN)
Description
An entertaining and informative book that explores how living things contend with nonbiological reality
Life on Earth is subject to the pull of gravity, the properties of air and water, and the behavior of diffusing molecules, yet such physical factors are constraints that drive evolution and offer untold opportunities to creatures of all sizes. In this lively introduction to the science of biomechanics, Steven Vogel invites you to wonder about the design of the plants and animals around us. You will learn why a fish swims more rapidly than a duck can paddle, why healthy trees more commonly uproot than break, how sharks manage with such flimsy skeletons, and why a mouse can easily survive a fall onto any surface from any height. With an illuminating foreword by Rob Dunn, this Princeton Science Library edition of Life's Devices includes examples from every major group of animals and plants along with illustrative problems and suggestions for experiments that require only common household materials.
Life on Earth is subject to the pull of gravity, the properties of air and water, and the behavior of diffusing molecules, yet such physical factors are constraints that drive evolution and offer untold opportunities to creatures of all sizes. In this lively introduction to the science of biomechanics, Steven Vogel invites you to wonder about the design of the plants and animals around us. You will learn why a fish swims more rapidly than a duck can paddle, why healthy trees more commonly uproot than break, how sharks manage with such flimsy skeletons, and why a mouse can easily survive a fall onto any surface from any height. With an illuminating foreword by Rob Dunn, this Princeton Science Library edition of Life's Devices includes examples from every major group of animals and plants along with illustrative problems and suggestions for experiments that require only common household materials.
Reviews / Votes
"This is a book to answer questions you didn't even think to ask, and you will experience a whole series of 'aha' moments as you plough through it. . . . You will have so many esoteric anecdotes for your next cocktail party, that alone makes it worthwhile! After all, who doesn't want to know why a fish swims with greater ease than a duck can paddle? And you will know the answer!"---David M. Gascoigne, Travels with BirdsMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 217 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
370 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-27058-6 (9780691270586)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2025
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€21.49
Available for download
Persons
Steven Vogel (1940-2015) was the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of Biology at Duke University. His books include Comparative Biomechanics and Glimpses of Creatures in Their Physical Worlds (both Princeton). Rob Dunn is the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University. His books include Delicious (Princeton) and Never Home Alone.