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nexusstc/Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle/34c50f569d59cb1cd8400cd399adc762.djvu
Prime mover : a natural history of muscle 🔍
Steven Vogel; illustrated by Annette deFerrari and the author W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 1, 2002
English [en] · DJVU · 3.9MB · 2002 · 📘 Book (non-fiction) · 🚀/duxiu/lgli/lgrs/nexusstc/zlib · Save
description
The story—and the science—of nature's greatest engine. Whether we blink an eye, lift a finger, throw a spear or a ball, walk, run, or merely breathe, we are using muscle. Although muscles differ little in appearance and performance across the animal kingdom, they accomplish tasks as diverse as making flies fly, rattlesnakes rattle, and squid shoot their tentacles. Our everyday activities turn on the performance of nature's main engine: we may breathe harder going uphill, but we put more strain on our muscles walking downhill. Those of us who are right-handed can tighten screws and jar lids more forcibly than we can loosen them. Here we're treated to the story of how form and performance make these things happen—how nature does her work. Steven Vogel is a leader in the great new field of bioengineering, which is rapidly explaining the beauty and efficiency of nature. His talents as both scientist and writer shine in this masterful narrative of biological ingenuity, as he relates the story—and science—of nature's greatest engine.
Alternative filename
zlib/Biology and other natural sciences/Steven Vogel, Annette Deferrari/Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle_677786.djvu
Alternative author
Vogel, Steven
Alternative publisher
Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W.
Alternative publisher
Norton Professional Books
Alternative edition
United States, United States of America
Alternative edition
1st ed, New York, New York State, 2001
Alternative edition
New York, 2003, ©2001
Alternative edition
New York [u.a, 2002
Alternative edition
Revised ed., 2003
Alternative edition
London, 2001
Alternative edition
2, 20030817
Alternative edition
August 2003
Alternative edition
1, PS, 2001
Alternative edition
March 2002
Alternative edition
1, 2003
metadata comments
duansci.com -- 0
metadata comments
lg250043
metadata comments
{"edition":"1","isbns":["0393021262","0393247317","039332463X","9780393021264","9780393247312","9780393324631"],"last_page":383,"publisher":"Norton"}
metadata comments
Includes bibliographical references (p. 339-351) and index
metadata comments
topic: Muscles
metadata comments
Type: 英文图书
metadata comments
Bookmarks:
1. (p1) Preface
2. (p2) CHAPTER 1 Body Work
3. (p3) CHAPTER 2 How Muscle Works
4. (p4) CHAPTER 3 And How We Found Out
5. (p5) CHAPTER 4 Flying High, Making Noise, and Clamming Up
6. (p6) CHAPTER 5 Knowing What We're Doing
7. (p7) CHAPTER 6 Connecting Up Muscles
8. (p8) CHAPTER 7 Using Hand Tools
9. (p9) CHAPTER 8 Working Hard
10. (p10) CHAPTER 9 More Tough Tasks
11. (p11) CHAPTER 10 Bringing Animals to Bear
12. (p12) CHAPTER 11 Bos versus Equus
13. (p13) CHAPTER 12 Killing Tools: The Big Picture
14. (p14) CHAPTER 13 Wielding the Weapons
15. (p15) CHAPTER 14 Muscle as Meat
16. (p16) CHAPTER 15 Pulling Things Together
17. (p17) Notes
18. (p18) References
19. (p19) Index
metadata comments
theme: Muscles
Alternative description
"In today's world, machines whirl and pound and purr away, doing our bidding in return for a little petroleum, a hefty wind, or falling water. But for most of our time on earth our own muscles had to get us where we went, lift our loads, plow our fields, and reap our harvests. We were limited to muscle power - ours and that of oxen, horses, and a few other animal accomplices." "And we were limited by muscle's peculiarities. As an engine, muscle hardly varies - whether in flea or elephant or Olympic sprinter - and its limitations do not resemble anything else in the physical world. Imagine a car engine that will move you with breath-taking speed for a few seconds but that slows dramatically if asked to work for minutes and that can merely crawl along if required to work for hours. We'd think it a poor means of locomotion by modern standards. Still, that was all we had and, in many respects, most of what we have now." "In recent years, we've come to understand both the way muscle works and how hard it can work, in part by exploring how different animals use it - how flies fly and rattlesnakes rattle, how squid shoot out their tentacles and how much a hiker can carry up a mountain trail. We can see how muscle's performance rules how we do our tasks and how we design our tools - from the short handles of stone axes to the right-hand threads on most of our screws. Muscle's force and power limited, in ways we can now calculate, what we could get out of small bows and blowguns as well as slingshots and catapults. A useful thing, then, is muscle, and more, for at the end of the day it makes up most of the animal protein we eat, thereby replacing itself." "In short, the story of muscle is largely the story of humankind, and Steven Vogel, internationally hailed as a leader in the fascinating and burgeoning field of biomechanics, is its storyteller."--Jacket
Alternative description
<p>Whether we blink an eye, lift a finger, throw a spear or a ball, walk, run, or merely breathe, we are using muscle. Although muscles differ little in appearance and performance across the animal kingdom, they accomplish tasks as diverse as making flies fly, rattlesnakes rattle, and squid shoot their tentacles.</p><p>Our everyday activities turn on the performance of nature's main engine: we may breathe harder going uphill, but we put more strain on our muscles walking downhill. Those of us who are right-handed can tighten screws and jar lids more forcibly than we can loosen them. Here we're treated to the story of how form and performance make these things happen-how nature does her work.</p><p>Steven Vogel is a leader in the great new field of bioengineering, which is rapidly explaining the beauty and efficiency of nature. His talents as both scientist and writer shine in this masterful narrative of biological ingenuity, as he relates the story-and science-of nature's greatest engine.</p>
Alternative description
This book introduces a variety of topics related to muscles and the energetics of work including: comparative anatomy, physiology, basic mechanics of simple machines, history of machines that use muscles, etc. The style is engaging, lively, and clear. Many concepts, some of them complex, are described in a way that non-specialists can understand, although, occasionally, the reader may have to work a bit. It helps if you have some previous knowledge of physiology but it isn't absolutely necessary. If you would like to learn about insect muscles, Roman catapults, and row boats, buy this book.
Alternative description
A fascinating introduction to the world of muscle explores the role this important tissue plays in a host of important tasks, from maintaining a heartbeat to hunting prey. Reprint.
Alternative description
OF THE WEIGHT OF A HUMAN IN DECENT SHAPE-ALL TOO few of us-muscle makes up fully 40 percent.
date open sourced
2010-05-17
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