Book description
Addressing general readers and biologists, Mark Denny shows how the physics of fluids (in this case, air and water) influences the often fantastic ways in which life forms adapt themselves to their terrestrial or aquatic "media."
Why read it?
1 author picked Air and Water as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Mark Denny manages to explain much of biology by analyzing the physical properties of just two substances: air and water.
I love how he progresses through seemingly mundane concepts—density, viscosity, heat capacity, surface tension—and uses them to unravel how biology works. My favorite feature of the book is when Denny applies simple physics and engineering principles to explain the inner workings of oddball organisms.
All I can say about his book is that I wish I had written it.
From Brad's list on physics in medicine and biology.
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