Bones: The Unity of Form and Function - Couverture rigide

Alexander, R. McNeil

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0025836757 ISBN 13 : 9780025836754

Editeur : Prentice-Hall, 1994

Synopsis

Assembled by a team of scientists and artists, this book looks at the marvels of adaptation through natural selection - the unity of form and function in the vertebrae skeleton - everything from fish to primates including Homo Sapiens. The text provides readers with a thought-provoking demonstration of how each bone is perfectly adapted to the purpose it serves.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Few creations of nature display the perfect unity of form and function found in the vertebrate skeleton. Ingeniously designed by the processes of evolution, bones are marvels of engineering. In tribute to both the beauty and mechanics of its subject, Bones explores the structure, material, and movement of bones. It examines the composition of bone material, looks at joints and muscle attachments that allow for movement-including such elaborate mechanisms as fish jaws, rattlesnake fangs, and a lion's retractable claws-and shows how the same bone is shaped wildly differently in a variety of animals.A wealth of specially commissioned color plates shows bones as they have seldom been seen before. The luminous images range from the unusual (the skeleton of a pygmy flying squirrel) to the ordinary (the tailbones of a domestic cat), and from the enormous (the vertebra of a dinosaur) to the minuscule (the acoustic bones of a desert kangaroo rat). With its blend of lively science and unexpected beauty, Bones leaves readers with insight into the workings of the skeleton, and a sense of wonder at its intricacy.

Biographie de l'auteur

R. McNeil Alexander is Deputy Head of the Department of Pure and Applied Biology at the University of Leeds, England. Considered the world's foremost authority on animal mechanics, he has received several prestigious awards, including the Scientific Medal from the Zoological Society of London.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Prentice-Hall
• Date d'édition: 1994
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0025836757
• ISBN 13: 9780025836754
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 224
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible