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This book is an excellent introduction to physiology for novices of the subject. Assuming no prior knowledge, but without a hint of condescension, Widmaier explains the basics of how animals work. The book is split into chapters, each focusing on a particular problem that animals face and describing the solutions that different species have come to.
For example, in the chapter 'Oxygen - the breath of life', the issue examined is how animals in extreme environments can ensure that they have enough This book is an excellent introduction to physiology for novices of the subject. For example, in the chapter 'Oxygen - the breath of life', the issue examined is how animals in extreme environments can ensure that they have enough oxygen to function.
Here, the Weddell seal is used to demonstrate the adaptations that have evolved in response to prolonged diving sessions in which the seal does not breathe for over an hour at a time.
At the other end of the spectrum is the Bar-headed goose, which flies over the Himalayan mountain range during its yearly migration. At this altitude the air pressure is lower, and consequently the goose has evolved some physiological tricks in order to get enough oxygen to power its annual pilgrimage.
The other chapters of the book follow in the same vein, posing physiological questions such as how animals get enough water or how they keep cool, and using anecdotes from animal life at the extremes to illustrate the answers. An aspect of the book I particularly enjoyed was the way Widmaier has slotted historical references within the science discussed.
His passion for the field of physiology comes across beautifully in these passages, adding vibrancy to the book and giving a great background for the more modern experiments which are based on these historical findings, such as William Havey's discoveries in the mammalian circulatory system and Joseph Priestley's discovery of ''good air'' oxygen to you and me. Why is breathing at high altitudes easy for birds and difficult for humans?
Why do animals have two sets of sensory organs--eyes, ears, nostrils, etc? In Why Geese Don't Get Obese , physiologist Eric Widmaier describes the astonishing ways humans and other creatures have adapted to their environmental challenges in order to survive.
Surprising examples, a sense of humor, and some insightful science make this book a delightful and lively read. He has written numerous articles for scientific and nonscientific publications. He lives in Boston, Massachusettes. The essence of physiology—questioning how and why the parts of the body function the way they do—probably began when ancient hominids first looked inside a dismembered animal and wondered what it all was.
No doubt their real interest was whether or not they could eat any of the bits, but certainly there was a time when one of our early ancestors began to ask what all these entrails were for. Although much has been learned, in a broad sense not much has changed about the nature of physiology since that early hominid. And while molecular biology is currently receiving a great deal of well-deserved attention it seems we hear almost weekly about the discovery of some new disease-related gene , ultimately every major genetic discovery will need to be characterized and understood in a real-life setting.
I lecture on all aspects of physiology to a variety of audiences, and I always find the interrelatedness of animals to be endlessly fascinating. A bird flying over the Himalayas, a fish swimming in the tropics, a crustacean living in the deep ocean, and a person typing at a computer are very different animals in very different settings, yet all share the same biological needs and face similar challenges to survival. Every animal needs oxygen and a way to transport it within its body.
Likewise, all animals must be able to sense changes in their environments, to cope with those changes, to find sources of energy to drive the chemical reactions in their bodies, and so on.
Surviving at an elevation of 17, feet in the Andes requires much different coping mechanisms than survival under the sea, but in both cases the limited factor is still oxygen. My hope is that after reading the book, the reader will have a new appreciation for the astonishing ways our bodies are suited for survival and how we and all other animals are more closely related than might be imagined.
One indisputable fact is that the more we understand about other animals, the more we also understand about ourselves. I most sincerely and gratefully acknowledge the invaluable editorial help and advice of John Michel and the rest of the wonderful staff at W. Freeman and Company. Special thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Knoll, who helped me get started on this project and pointed me in the right direction.
I am extremely grateful to those individuals and organizations who provided me with photographs: Bat Conservation International, Inc. Thomas Eisner, Cornell University; Dr. Thomas H. Kunz, Boston University; and particularly Dr. Charles K. Levy, Boston University, for his photos, advice, and good cheer. I am also grateful to the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, which have supported my research on animal and human physiology for many years, and to Boston University for providing me with the opportunity to pursue my research and teaching interests.
Most of all, I thank my wife, Maria—who is much more literate than I ever will be—for her editorial help. Like a true physicist, he never could really appreciate my reasons for wanting to study biology.
And while his many attempts to get me to switch from a career in the life sciences to one in the physical sciences were ultimately unsuccessful, he nonetheless left me with some advice that I continue to pass on to the young biology students that I now teach.
That advice is as simple as it is fundamental: Never forget that the laws of nature are at the root of the life sciences.
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