Life's Devices

The Physical World of Animals and Plants

Steven Vogel, Rob Dunn, Rob Dunn , Rob Dunn

$34.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Princeton University Pres
01 October 2025

Series: Princeton Science Library

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.

By: Steven Vogel
Foreword by: Rob Dunn, Rob Dunn, Rob Dunn
Imprint: Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9780691270586
ISBN 10: 0691270589
Series: Princeton Science Library
Pages: 384
Publication Date: 01 October 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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.

Reviews for Life's Devices: The Physical World of Animals and Plants

""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 Birds