Furry Logic: The Physics of Animal Life

by Matin Durrani, Liz Kalaugher

Overview

A captivating introduction to the physics of animal behavior.

The principles of physics lie behind many of the ways animals go about their daily lives. Scientists have discovered that the way cats and dogs lap up liquids can be explained by the laws of surface tension, how ants navigate is due to polarized light, and why pistol shrimps can generate enough force to destroy aquarium glass using their "elbows!"

Each of Furry Logic's six chapters tackles a separate branch of physics and, through more than 30 animal case studies, examines each creature's key features before describing the ways physics is at play in its life, how the connection between physics and animal behavior was discovered, and what remains to be found out. Science journalists Matin Durrani and Liz Kalaugher make the incredible interdisciplinary world of animals accessible to all, in an enthralling and entertaining read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472914118
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/30/2018
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	1,093,396
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Matin Durrani is the editor of the international magazine Physics World. After receiving his Ph.D. on polymer physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, Durrani did a postdoc at the University of Cambridge before moving into publishing.

Liz Kalaugher is a science and environment writer based in Bristol, UK. Fascinated by animals since a childhood encounter with a squashed frog, she is a particular fan of bats, bees, and badgers. After winning journalism fellowships from the World Federation of Science Journalists and the European Geosciences Union, Liz has also reported on beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic and Finnish reindeer. She has a materials science degree from the University of Oxford and a PhD in thin-film diamond from the University of Bristol. Liz tweets from @LizKalaugher and you can find out more about Furry Logic at furrylogicbook.com.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction – what do we mean by 'animal physics'?

2. Force and motion – Newton's laws in action

How snakes use friction to move, how the Komodo dragon uses a 'can-opener' technique to tear apart prey, and many more.

3. Heat and light – the electromagnetic spectrum

Why 'ultrablack' butterflies regulate their body heat by absorbing light, why dogs' paws don't freeze, and many more.

4. Sound – a question of waves

How peacock tails generate infrasound to attract a mate, why elephants generate seismic waves, how bats navigate with sound, and how snakes and scorpions hear surface vibrations in sand.

5. Fluid dynamics – how to go with the flow

How pondskaters walk on water, why all mammals empty their bladders in 21 seconds, and why blood doesn't pool in giraffes' necks.

6. Electricity and magnetism – two sides of the same coin

The secrets of the electric eel, the frogs and fish that detect currents, the sea turtles that use magnetic maps, and why trouts' noses follow magnetic fields.

7. Quantum mechanics – it's not all classical physics

The hornet that has its very own solar cell, why quantum entanglement affects how the Robin navigates using proteins in its retina, and the link between honeybee dances and quarks.

8. Unexplained mysteries

Why woodpecker's don't get headaches, why scorpions glow in the dark, and many more.

Editorial Reviews

Durrani and Kalaugher approach their captivating material in a lighthearted fashion . . . The examples are often fascinating, but Durrani and Kalaugher's larger message about the need to integrate the sciences is far more important.” —Publishers Weekly

“Light science reading that informs while it entertains.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Readers don't need a background in physics to enjoy this engaging, educational title. Recommended for fans of popular science, including YA audiences.” —School Library Journal

“Many readers will see the word physics in the subtitle and sheer away from this captivating work, but even the most phobic will be reassured as scientists and science editors Durrani and Kalaugher demonstrate how animals use physics in their daily lives.” —Nancy Bent, Booklist

“A fun, informative chronicle of how myriad animals take advantage of the laws of physics.” —Science News

“Furry Logic is an important book that is equally inspiring and humbling.” —Science

From the Publisher

10/03/2016
Bridging physics and biology in an accessible, informative, and (mostly) humorous manner, science journalists Durrani and Kalaugher take readers on an eclectic tour of the natural world. In individual chapters focusing on the physics of heat, force, fluid dynamics, sound, electricity and magnetism, and light, they explain basic principles and describe how a range of animals make use of those principles, often in surprising ways, to increase their ability to survive and reproduce. The authors demonstrate why mosquitos aren’t killed when hit by raindrops weighing 50 times the mass of the insect, how bees manage to fly when simple equations suggest that they shouldn’t be able to generate enough lift to do so, and how loggerhead turtles use the Earth’s magnetic field to return to the beach upon which they hatched after swimming in the open ocean for five to 10 years. The examples are often fascinating, but Durrani and Kalaugher’s larger message about the need to integrate the sciences is far more important: “Dividing physicists and biologists—making them go to separate classes and learn different subjects—stifles progress.” Durrani and Kalaugher approach their captivating material in a lighthearted fashion, though the wordplay gets a bit stale by the end of the book. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 11/01/2016
Durrani (editor, Physics World) and Kalaugher (editor, environmentalresearchweb.org) combine physics with biology to explore how animals eat, keep warm, mate, and protect themselves in their natural environments. Arranged into sections such as "Heat," "Force," "Fluid," and "Sound and Light," the book illustrates how ants, cats, snakes, bees, eels, lobsters, and other creatures manage the world around them. Just as human beings don't have to know how an engine works to drive a car or understand the principles of flight to ride in a plane, animals are unaware of the laws and properties they manipulate to survive and flourish. The authors entertain and explain with cases such as the simple harmonic motion of a shaking dog or the quantum mechanics of the Oriental hornet. The tone is charming and conversational, and humorous examples are paired with detailed descriptions of physics at work. VERDICT Readers don't need a background in physics to enjoy this engaging, educational title. Recommended for fans of popular science, including YA audiences.—Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib.

Library Journal

2016-11-01
How animals are designed to make the most efficient use of physical principles in their struggle to survive.Physics World magazine editor Durrani and Kalaugher, who has a doctorate in materials science, admit to "anthropomorphising" animal behavior in the interest of telling a good story, a smart decision that allows them to amply demonstrate how animals succeed in making physics work for them. Each of the chapters focuses on a specific area of physics—Heat, Forces, Fluids, Sound, Electricity and Magnetism, and Light—and the authors clearly explain the physical principles involved. Many of the examples they provide may seem counterintuitive. For example, a wet dog expends less energy removing moisture by shaking its fur than if it simply waited for the water to evaporate. This is because the cooling effect of evaporation requires the dog to expend energy to maintain its body temperature. As the authors write, "dog fur minimizes heat loss through conduction and convection. But if that fur is wet, the animal has to burn precious energy to stay warm enough for its body to work. No pooch is that daft, as you'll know to your soggy cost if you've stood next to a dog that's just bounded out of a river." Though readers likely don't frequently think about hornets, they will be surprised to learn that Oriental hornets have a natural solar cell that allows them to convert sunbeams into electricity. Durrani and Kalaugher also speculate about the multipurpose role of the peacock's tail in the mating ritual. The colorful plumage is a sign of vitality that attracts mate-seeking females. Furthermore, recordings reveal that by rustling their tails, they make "a quieter, and more pleasing, shivering noise," that accompanies their more raucous mating-related vocalizations. Another offbeat factoid—in a book full of them—is the way that elephants raise one foot from the ground in order to use their other three to triangulate vibrations. Light science reading that informs while it entertains—good for dipping into and out of.

Kirkus Reviews