On Size and Life (Scientific American Library)

For here is a subject that one thinks about only in passing - the shape and size of living objects. We've all heard (and maybe even were taught) things like, "If you could jump as high as a grasshopper could proportionally, you could spring 84 feet in the air" or "If you had the strength proportionally that an African Beatle has you could carry 500 pounds." This book shows why those statements are not true.

We start with a chapter called "The Natural History of Size" in which he examines the evolution of size and notes that some species have grown (the horse) while others have shrunk (the cat family). He observes that the larger the animal, the more complex it will be, something that affects morphology. Then he follows with a chapter on proportions that necessarily includes some mathematics. Following that are essays on physical and biological dimensions with the observation that all animals live approximately 1.5 x 1,000,000,000 heartbeats except... man who should not live past 33.

Two more chapters deal with the specific properties of being large and small. Finally an essay on why biological entities are the size they are. The authors are a biologist and an engineer.


A full of facts book that's a pleasure to read   July 17, 2000
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This is a delightful book to read ! I found many answers to puzzling questions, and really there were many more riddles than I had previously thought of.

The book is far more than informative. It made me think deeper on how life on earth is organized.

I always wondered if animal shapes where subject to any pattern. Did evolution follow any rules or was it a haphazard process ? Was there any relationship between size and velocity ? Could an organism grow to any size ? Giants can be expected to appear, can I believe unbelievable tales ?

Well, maybe the answer to all above questions is not in the book's scope, but it helps a lot. Actually, I found that top of the scale animals routinely departed from the rule set for the rest of their group. They had simply overrun possible competitors.

Reading it is a pleasure. Even though you'll find some math's in it, this is not a technical book. I wasn't disappointed. It stands as a reference book in my library.