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Book Review |
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Body Heat: Temperature and Life on Earth |
| Body Heat: Temperature and Life on Earth Mark S. Blumberg Harvard University Press 240 pp., $15.95 paper The author has done an admirable job integrating physical science, physiology of temperature regulation and energy metabolism, comparative animal physiology, and evolutionary biology to illustrate the permeating effects of temperature against Life on Earth. He gave clear explanations on the principles of heat flow and thermodynamics, how temperature affects life processes, how animals select and regulate preferred body temperatures in nature and survive the utmost extreme conditions, and how the shelter of civilization has on the one hand enabled the expansion of human species to all corners of the globe but cruelly remind us on the other hand that when absent, how meager and vulnerable the human species really is when confronted by seasonal cold and heat. To the lay people, this book is an excellent introduction, integration and illustration of how temperature affects all life forms on earth. This book is also of value to specialists in biology even those in thermal biology. The author was able to explain difficult concepts clearly with good everyday relatable examples. The evolutionary theme is clear and the illustrated biodiversity consequent to thermal selection is wide and fascinating. Although many students may have read or studied thermoadaptation in animals and plants, this book nicely integrated some of the most exotic examples to demonstrate the power of selection and adaptation, both in physiology and behavior. To a potential doctoral degree candidate, this book could be a timely review before the dreaded candidacy or qualifying examination. For future edition updates and improvements, it would be a plus if each specific examples can be appropriately referenced (rather than listing selected references after each chapter). This will clarify which work is done by the author and his students/colleagues and which is done by other scientists who share similar research interests. I enjoyed reading the book. I congratulate the author for having communicated what he intended to with rich materials and flowing lucidity. Lawrence Wang |
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Allostasis, Homeostasis, and the Costs of Physiological Adaptation. |
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