Synopses & Reviews
In its essence, science is a way of looking at and thinking about the world. In
The Life of a Leaf, Steven Vogel illuminates this approach, using the humble leaf as a model. Whether plant or person, every organism must contend with its immediate physical environment, a world that both limits what organisms can do and offers innumerable opportunities for evolving fascinating ways of challenging those limits. Here, Vogel explains these interactions, examining through the example of the leaf the extraordinary designs that enable life to adapt to its physical world. In Vogel’s account, the leaf serves as a biological everyman, an ordinary and ubiquitous living thing that nonetheless speaks volumes about our environment as well as its own. Thus in exploring the leaf’s world, Vogel simultaneously explores our own—answering questions about how objects get much hotter than air when in sunlight and far cooler when beneath a clear night sky; how air movement matters even when we can’t feel it; how objects such as trees avoid damage from storms; and how gases diffuse and bubbles form. He introduces us to ways leaves acquire the essential resources for growth and reproduction, resources not all that different from those needed by animals—humans included. In considering science on our personal scale, Vogel refers complex concepts to everyday observations in our immediate experiences. Though the ideas he presents here hold surprises, he makes the case that they’re quite ordinary—so ordinary that, with the instructions provided, anyone can use everyday household materials to investigate how they work. Within these pages, he provides incredible food for thought and the tools for a new way of seeing the beauty and simplicity of the science of life.
A companion website with demonstrations and teaching tools can be found here: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/sites/vogel/index.html
Review
and#160;and#8220;I will never look at a leaf in the same way againand#8212;in reading this book I learned so much about how leaves work, and in doing so found I felt as if I had done a course in basic physics and engineering without realizing it. This is one of those books that powerfully, and often entertainingly, demystifies science, and as such should appeal well beyond the obvious plant sciences readership.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;In
The Life of a Leaf, after decades of research, teaching and general science writing, Steven Vogel has written his most accessible and wise book on the interactions of organisms with the physical world.and#160; He is eminently successful in portraying the leaf as a and#8216;biological everyman, an ordinary and ubiquitous living thing that provides the subject for an exploration of our immediate physical world.and#8217; Armchair science aficionados and educators will find his frequent do-it-yourself side essays particularly enjoyable and useful.and#160;An excellent book.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;I am astounded by the breadth of the science that can be motivated by simple questions about a leaf or a tree.and#160;Refreshingly, the answers come from mechanics and engineeringand#8212;not a DNA sequence in sight!and#160;An intelligent and highly readable introduction to important scientific principles in a familiar, human-sized context.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Duke University biomechanist Steven Vogel capably demonstrates how a scientist can unite micro and macro perspectives in looking at the natural world. Using the leaf of a plant as his model system of life, he explores aspects of structure, function, and physiology while embedding specific questions in a broader evolutionary context. Thus, as we learn how a leaf (and the plant to which it is attached) uses various strategies to maintain appropriate water balance, we also learn why these strategies are important. Those larger points allow Vogel and his readers to reach beyond botany to the entire natural world. He mixes the principles of biology with those of physics to great effect, demonstrating the constraints the physical world places on living organisms and the limited options available to evolution. . . . His firsthand account of many of his own experiments, and the joy with which he recounts them, brings the scientific process to life.and#8221;
Review
andquot;Vogelandrsquo;s obvious enthusiasm for the subject and his skill at writing shine through with clarity and joy. andquot;
Review
andldquo;Any schoolchild who has ever plucked an interesting leaf and pressed it into a book for safekeeping will know there is something magical about these oddly shaped tree appendages. In this eclectic blend of science textbook and laymanandrsquo;s field guide, Duke University biology professor Steven Vogel takes the leaf as a model for probing natureandrsquo;s often overlooked inner machinery. . . . Nature lovers and botanists will delight in the details.andrdquo;
Review
and#8220;Steven Vogel celebrates serendipitous discoveries and ideas, describing his own in detail, and shows the general reader just how exciting science can be. The central theme of
The Life of a Leaf is extracting the extraordinary from the ordinary. In a way, Vogeland#8217;s view is that science is at its heart simpleand#8212;and great fun. I couldnand#8217;t agree more.and#8221;
Review
andquot;
The Life of a Leaf's alliterative title, which is a hallmark of an author with the talent of a poet as well as the mind of a scientist, is characteristic of Steven Vogel. The title also illustrates how Vogel can take a seemingly innocuous objectandmdash;a simple leafandmdash;and use it to illustrate virtually every aspect of fluid and solid mechanics (with a considerable amount of chemistry thrown in for good measure).andquot;
Review
and#8220;This book is a happy reminder that science can become much less daunting in the hands of an enthusiastic teacher.and#8221;
Review
“This is one of those books that powerfully, and often entertainingly, demystifies science.”
Nature
Synopsis
In its essence, science is a way of looking at and thinking about the world. In
The Life of a Leaf,and#160;Steven Vogel illuminates this approach, using the humble leaf as a model. Whether plant or person, every organism must contend with its immediate physical environment, a world that both limits what organisms can do and offers innumerable opportunities for evolving fascinating ways of challenging those limits.and#160;Here, Vogel explains these interactions, examining through the example of the leaf the extraordinary designs that enable life to adapt to its physical world.
In Vogelandrsquo;s account, the leaf serves as a biological everyman, an ordinary and ubiquitous living thing that nonetheless speaks volumes about our environment as well as its own.and#160;Thus in exploring the leafandrsquo;s world, Vogel simultaneously explores our own.
A companion website with demonstrations and teaching tools can be found here: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/sites/vogel/index.html
About the Author
Steven Vogel is a James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of biology at Duke University. His most recent books include
Catsandrsquo; Paws and Catapults and
Glimpses of Creatures in Their Physical Worlds.
Table of Contents
Preface
1and#160; Starting the Story
2and#160; Seeking Illumination
3and#160; Diffusing Gases
4and#160; Flowing Gases
5and#160; Leaking Water
6and#160; Raising Water
7and#160; Interfacing with Air
8and#160; Keeping Cool
9and#160; Cleaning Surfaces
10and#160; Staying Unfrozen
11and#160; Staying Stiff and High
12and#160; Surviving a Storm
13and#160; Making and Maintaining
14and#160; Winding It Up
List of Symbols, Abbreviations, and Conversions
Notes
References and Index of Citations
General Index