The Physics of Life

March 21, 2016
In this quirky, occasionally ingenious work, Bejan (Design in Nature), a professor of mechanical engineering at Duke University, explores evolution as a phenomenon not of biology but of physics. He proposes “the constructal law” that defines life as anything that moves and evolves, including rivers, cities, snowflakes, and lightning, as well as humans, other creatures, and human culture. When movement stops, life ends. Having set out this provocative idea, Bejan spends half a dozen chapters discussing phenomena that evolve according to his definition. Readers undeterred by equations, tables, and graphs will learn that constructal law supposedly explains the advance of technology, growth of cities, increasing skill of athletes, and inevitability of death. These explanations are not for the faint of heart and the work betrays the type of efficiency fetishism that only an engineer could espouse. Applying mathematics and the hard sciences to such disciplines as history, economics, literature, or human behavior has a long and undistinguished history; Bejan’s enthusiasm is obvious, but readers with fortitude and technical knowledge will find stimulating theories mixed with errors, and poor philosophical and sociopolitical reasoning presented as deeply significant but without special insights. Agent: Don Fehr, Trident Media Group.

Starred review from April 15, 2016
Renowned energy scientist Bejan (Mechanical Engineering/Duke Univ.; co-author: Design in Nature, 2013, etc.) reorients the query "what is life" within the perspective of physics.Founder of the "constructal law," which holds that "power and dissipation conspire to facilitate all movement on earth, animate and inanimate, animal, human, and machine," the author elegantly argues that evolution transcends the boundaries of the biological and governs the flow of all phenomena. His theory both reorients how we think of physics, shifting focus from the effect of the individual to a necessary entanglement of the whole, and also empowers us to consider "life" as all manifestations of forward flow. From this perspective, Bejan analyzes such myriad subjects as athletics, technology, migratory patterns, and even the ice volume of snowflakes to prove his point--which he does well and often throughout the book. In compelling and mostly nontechnical language, he argues, "the live system has flow, organization, freedom to change, and evolution." From this, agency derives power, and from power comes movement, a symbiosis that is the manifestation of the "life laws" of physics in living and nonliving things. While it may take a careful rereading of certain chapters to truly grasp the author's novel unifying theory, it is worth the effort, as his book-length proof is at once riveting and poetic. Rarely are scientists capable of translating esoteric concepts in such broad strokes without losing coherence, but Bejan's persistent focus on the details brings the constructal law to life via the everyday. In the end, his blend of science and the philosophy of design (among other disciplines) is convincing and may just shift your perspective of self. Unique and entirely fascinating, this book will linger in your consciousness and prompt you to look at the world with fresh eyes.

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May 15, 2016

Known for his work on constructal law, which describes the development of natural and human-made structures, Bejan (mechanical engineering, Duke Univ.) here delves deep into the intersection of scientific disciplines, exploring the physics behind biological systems. He explains how the flow of power fuels the growth of all things, from the weight of the human brain to the traffic patterns of cities. The author uses examples such as the height of runners, the span of a swimmer's hand, and the slenderness of a cat's legs to clarify how size governs movement. Connections are made between the progress of large-scale systems (e.g., human civilizations) and smaller systems (e.g., how products are grouped on a grocery store shelf), revealing the common patterns in the current that links all processes of life. While this volume is filled with everyday examples, readers not well versed in scientific concepts may have difficulty following Bejan's models. VERDICT This extensive, multidisciplinary book will be well suited to habitual science readers and academic audiences.--Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib.

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