Why Size Matters: From Bacteria to Blue Whales

Book Description

John Tyler Bonner, one of our most distinguished and creative biologists, here offers a completely new perspective on the role of size in biology. In his hallmark friendly style, he explores the universal impact of being the right size. By examining stories ranging from Alice in Wonderland to Gulliver's Travels, he shows that humans have always been fascinated by things big and small. Why then does size always reside on the fringes of science and never on the center stage? Why do biologists and others ponder size only when studying something else--running speed, life span, or metabolism?

Why Size Matters, a pioneering book of big ideas in a compact size, gives size its due by presenting a profound yet lucid overview of what we know about its role in the living world. Bonner argues that size really does matter--that it is the supreme and universal determinant of what any organism can be and do. For example, because tiny creatures are subject primarily to forces of cohesion and larger beasts to gravity, a fly can easily walk up a wall, something we humans cannot even begin to imagine doing.

Bonner introduces us to size through the giants and dwarfs of human, animal, and plant history and then explores questions including the physics of size as it affects biology, the evolution of size over geological time, and the role of size in the function and longevity of living things.

As this elegantly written book shows, size affects life in its every aspect. It is a universal frame from which nothing escapes.

Customer Reviews:

Great stuff!.......2007-07-06

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It feels like you're hanging out with an old friend on the back porch. It is a very easy read, and the topic is neat. I really enjoyed the part on quorum sensing, totally fascinating. Thanks for a great book! I went to the library and checked out 3 more by Dr. Bonner.

Good, but not great book.......2007-05-26

I found this book to be relatively interesting. It reads a bit like an academic trying to write a popular book: it is readable, but I sense a struggle to write in an unaccustomed genre. I thought Cats' Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People was a better book, although more general in scope.

Big Ideas in a Small Book About Sizes.......2006-12-18

It must be true that size is important; I can count on regularly getting e-mails that tell me I ought to be dissatisfied with my current size and that offer me just the potion to improve it. That's not the big issue in _Why Size Matters: From Bacteria to Blue Whales_ (Princeton University Press) by John Tyler Bonner. "No one can escape the universal rules imposed by size," Bonner writes in the preface. Or, "To put it another way, size is a supreme regulator of all matters biological." There are aspects of size here that are surprising, and all the more so for most of them being in plain sight for any of us to have come up with. Bonner is a biology professor emeritus, who has concentrated his career on smaller animals ("I have devoted my life to slime molds," begins one of his other books) but takes up the problems and potentials of scale for plants and animals of all sizes, even imaginary ones.

Bonner does not mention science fiction movies which have as staples terrifying oversized creatures; his fictional examples are residents of the lands visited by Lemuel Gulliver, both the Lilliputians, one twelfth of Gulliver's "normal" height, and Brobdingnagians, twelve times his height. He repeatedly shows that if these were real biological creatures, just because of size difference, they would have different skeletons, different intellects, different voices, different metabolisms, and different lengths of life. Size would make those creatures different in many ways that mere inches could not measure. Bonner may draw many of his examples from Swift's fantasy, but his observations are all drawn from physics and biology. Increasing an animal's size always increases its complexity. Not only is this true from one species to the next, but since we all start out as simple singular cells, it holds true through the development until adult size is attained. Our gastrointestinal, cardiac, neurological, and other systems are more complicated than those of animals smaller than we, not because we are the exalted lords of creation, not because our big frames need more stuff to fill them, but simply because we are the size we are. As Bonner says, size rules all. Size considerations even answer the question of why animals evolved from tiny unicellular creatures into us and into whales and sequoias.

There are equations and logarithmic graphs within these pages, but Bonner's tone is never pedantic. He may frequently invoke Gulliver (or Tom Thumb and even Sinbad the Sailor), but the lessons are drawn from real animals, like Bonner's beloved slime molds, or geckos, bats, or fairy flies (actually tiny wasps with feathery wings), or ourselves. _Why Size Matters_ is itself a small book, but it is freighted with important scientific ideas brought forth with admirable clarity and good humor.

Dee Bigger Dee Better .......2006-11-26

John Tyler Bonner is an Emeritus Professor of Biology at Princeton University. This present general consideration of the importance of 'size' in overall evolutionary development comes after years of close observation and study of cellular processes. For Bonner the complexity of an organism is measured by the number and kinds, the overall variety of cells which comprise it. Very simply , organisms of smaller size cannot have systems of operation of a kind that larger ones can. As he understands it 'size matters' and is a prime determinant of the shape and structure of the organism.
This is his summary of the main theme of this work.

" Changes in size are not a consequence of changes in shape, but the reverse: changes in size often require changes in shape. To put it another way, size is a supreme regulator of all matters biological. No living entity can evolve or develop without taking size into consideration. Much more than that, size is a prime mover in evolution.There is abundant evidence for the natural selection of size, for both increases and decreases.Those size changes have the remarkable effect that they guide and encourage novelties in the structure of all organisms. Size is not just a by-product of evolution, but a major player. Size increase requires changes in structure, in function, and, as we will see, in other familiar evolutionary innovations. It requires them because they are needed for the individual to exist. Life would be impossible without the appropriate size-related modifications."
Bonner goes on to explain why 'size' has been neglected as a subject of biological study. He gives general principles which indicate the overall importance of size.
He in this regard says that Strength is dependent on Size, that complex functions such as metabolism, speed of mobility, longevity and growth depend on size. He also says that the division of labor ( the complexity of an organism) is a variable of its size. Also he indicates that the surfaces which enable diffusion of food , oxygen and heat in and out of the body vary with size.
Bonner provides entertaining and interesting illustrations and examples. One has the pleasure of reading a book in which one feels an immense amount of learning and understanding is condensed into a relatively small number of pages.
While his general line seems to be 'bigger is better' rather than 'small is beautiful' this work would seem to fit into the latter category.

Small Book; Big Thoughts.......2006-11-11

Size matters.

It determines what any organism can do. Yet, size is relegated to the sidelines of scientific study. It is usually studied only as a corollary of another variable - speed, longevity or metabolism.

John Tyler Bonner, a retired Princeton biology professor, changes that. By examining stories from "Alice in Wonderland" to "Gulliver's Travels" grants size its scientific due. In this well-written and easily-understood book, Bonner spans the giants and dwarfs of the human, animal and plant kingdoms. He explores the physics of size in biology, its evolution and its role in the function and longevity of living things.

Size rules all things: strength, surface, complexity, living processes and abundance. No endeavor escapes its tentacles.

It is a small wonder that Bonner addresses his subject in as lucid and conversant manner as he does in this small, but pointed and thought-provoking book.

Average customer rating:

Perfect science and read-aloud book.
ONE OF THE BEST WHALE BOOKS AVAILABLE!

Big Blue Whale: Read and Wonder
Nicola Davies
Manufacturer: Candlewick
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0763610801
Release Date: 2001-05-01

Book Description

A great resource for teachers!

Read and Wonder books tell stories, take children on adventures,
and reveal how big and WONDER-full the natural world really is.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect science and read-aloud book........2001-09-30

A wonderfully succinct overview of the blue whale and it's habits.

The clear, sweet prose makes delivery of the content easy, and the very fine, soft illustrations demand repeated veiwing. My Preschool and Kindergarten ESL students found it highly engaging.

If there's a better science and read-aloud book around I'd really like to know about it. TEN stars.

Follow this book up with the superb "Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?" by Robert E. Wells. Wells' book uses the whales' size as a starting point for exploring the size of the universe and other very big things (the second step involves putting a hundred blue whales in a really big jar). Read my review of Wells' book if you like.

ONE OF THE BEST WHALE BOOKS AVAILABLE!.......1998-03-17

I'm a whale researcher who has spent much of the last 12 years studying blue whales in the North Pacific. I'm also a mom who loves children's literature. Rarely do I see a book that is so accurate factually while it is captivating and magical! The illustrations are beautiful. I highly recommend it to anyone who has children who are facinated by whales.

Average customer rating:

3rd garde readers love thiss!
Matthew's review
Another fast Adventure
2nd in a Andrew Underwater story

In the Whale (Andrew Lost #6)
J.C. Greenburg
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 037582524X
Release Date: 2003-10-28

Book Description

After escaping an underwater volcano, Andrew, Judy, and Thudd drive their submersible vehicle, the Water Bug, right down a whale’s throat!

This is the second in a four-book set that will take the kids on a tour of undersea phenomena, from the Great Barrier Reef to the Mariana Trench to the inside of a whale, as they try to find their way home.

Customer Reviews:

3rd garde readers love thiss!.......2007-07-09

I was introduced to this series by one of my new students. He raved, so I decided to give it a try. I now use it in my guided reading program. Along with some of the others of the series. It seems to have almost anything a student might want to read about. Great series to get boys to read!

Matthew's review.......2006-02-22

This book was about Andrew and Judy and Thudd in a whale. They got swallowed in a whale, they went through its three stomachs and got pooped out. They learned that a blue whale's intestines are 500 feet long and a person's intestines are only 13 feet long. I liked this book because I leaned stuff. I would recommend this book

Another fast Adventure.......2004-04-05

Wow! I did'nt think Andrew's and Judy's adventures could get muct better than 1-5 of the Andrew's books. But, here it is: Andrew lost in the Whale is my favorite! When Andrew shows Judy The Water Bug...it was no big deal. That changes really fast when he accidently pushes the Search for the Giant Sqiud button. It is at this point that Andrew, Judy, and Thud begin
an adventure that takes them to helping Whales and riding out terrible storms in the ocean near Hawaii. I loved this book and found every chapter holding my attention and keeping me on the edge of my seat.

2nd in a Andrew Underwater story.......2003-11-03

Andrew Lost: In The Whale is a continuation to Andrew Lost: Underwater. The 1st-4th are all a continued story. But in Andrew Lost: Underwater, is a all new story. Andrew Lost: In the whale is a good story. Andrew, Judy, & Thudd get swollowed by a Blue Whale. They can brethe through their bubble duds, but the bubble duds will come apart after 2 hours. Will Andrew, Judy, & Thudd escape in time? Find out in Andrew Lost: In the whale.

Average customer rating:

RAINBOW FISH
RAINBOW FISH
Not as good as the first...
Same moral, different story
Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale ~ Marcus Pfister

Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale
Marcus Pfister
Manufacturer: North-South
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Board Books | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0735814309

Book Description

Rainbow Fish must make peace with a big blue whale when a misunderstanding threatens him and his friends in this board-book edition of the third title in the best-selling series. Here is a perfect introduction for children ages one to three to the glittering Rainbow Fish and a simple first lesson in the dangers of jumping to conclusions.

Customer Reviews:

RAINBOW FISH.......2005-10-19

I like reading this book because the fish are sharing scales and
being kind to the other fish. I felt that this is not a true story because fish can't talk , or give other scales to another .

RAINBOW FISH.......2005-10-19

I LIKE READING THIS BOOK BECAUSE THE FISH are sharing scale and be in kind.

Not as good as the first..........2005-09-08

I'm so glad to see that people aren't in an outrage about this part of the series. I, personally, was a huge fan of the first Rainbow fish book, and my little sister loves "Rainbow Fish to the rescue", but the third enstallment just wasn't as good. I founf myself getting extremely bored as I read it. Basically the fish are all afraid of this big whale thats been watching them from afar. So the usual jerk "The fish with the jagged fins", says that he thinks that whale wants to eat them. So the whale gets angry, and unessacairly scares the fish buy chasing thme around. Why shouldn't they be scared, some whales do eat fish. I just thought it was a bad lesson. But overall, it was ok.

Same moral, different story.......2005-08-13

For the third time in as many books, Marcus Pfister passes along the lesson "Be nice to others." That was the moral of the story in The Rainbow Fish; it was also the moral in Rainbow Fish to the Rescue. Why Mr. Pfister felt it necessary to bludgeon the reader over the head with it yet again in Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale is truly beyond me. It wouldn't really bother me - after all, there's nothing wrong with reminding children as well as adults that it's good to be nice - except the writing itself in Big Blue Whale is so poor. As in Rainbow Fish to the Rescue, Big Blue Whale feels rushed and slipshod, as if the author threw together any old story in order to make a deadline. Even a simple, predictable and cliched story can still be well-written and enjoyable; unfortunately, Big Blue Whale is all of the former and neither of the latter. Save your money and stick to the original Rainbow Fish.

Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale ~ Marcus Pfister.......2003-03-17

THis is a good book on not judging people by the first impression. PEople thses days have to learn not to judge epople by looks. Just becasue someone looks different doesn't mean they are different. IF someone is bigger than you, it doesn't make them a bully. A lot of people make stereotype's and think people are mean because of their size. Yet they have to that it whats on the inside that counts.

We all judge people at one time or another, its natural. We just have to learn to except people for who they are. I like this book because it shows how people treat others in modern life. This book shows how to except others. I also like it because judging is not a good think, it the good qualities we need to look for i a person, not the bad ones.

Average customer rating:

Great teaching tool

Biggest There Is

Great picture book for science and math integration

4th Graders Use it too!

A clear winner of the Darryl Award

Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?
Robert E. Wells
Manufacturer: Albert Whitman & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Fiction | Size & Shape | Basic Concepts | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
jp-unknown1 | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

What's Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew?

Can You Count to a Googol?

What's Faster Than a Speeding Cheetah?

What's Older Than A Giant Tortoise?

How Do You Lift a Lion?

ASIN: 0807536555

Customer Reviews:

Great teaching tool.......2007-03-16

I have used this book with several grade levels effectively. I originally purchased the book to give my third grade social studies class in an inner city New York school a concept of how high Mt. Everest is when they were studying China. They became so fascinated that we postponed the Himalaya lesson and ended up reading to the end of the book. They loved it! There are so many ways this book can be used with a classroom. It's a great way to involve children in the concept of estimating and they really get into guessing "how many" or trying to predict the very biggest thing there is. School age children enjoy the challenge of seeing how long it takes to count to 100 and then guessing how long it might take to reach a larger number. The children began asking "how long" to count to millions and billions if you counted 24 hours a day, creating a teachable moment when I helped them use math skills to discover the answer, which led to a discussion about setting up counting 'tag teams', if counting that long was feasible...the educational oportunities are endless, especially if you let the children's curiosity and creative thinking lead the lesson. All this was just from the first page of the book! I plan to purchase more books by this author in the hope they are equally thought-provoking.

Biggest There Is.......2005-06-20

This book is about a big blue whale and other things that's bigger than the big blue whale.This book use very big numbers of things to add up to compare them with one really big thing.This book tells about the universe and how big they think it is.our galaxy is the biggest yet.There are other galaxies that are probaly a million times bigger than ours. A blue whale is the biggest animal on earth but what is the biggest galaxy in space?

Great picture book for science and math integration.......2004-05-23

This is one of my favorite books. Every class I've ever used it with, from 1st grade up to 5th, has been fascinated. The illustrations are eye catching and perfectly correspond to the text. Literature should be intergrated across the curriculum. This book can help introduce lessons on big numbers and place value. It can also be used to tie into science lessons, with the size of the solar system or animal species. All elementary classrooms should have a copy of this book. It is both educational and interesting.

4th Graders Use it too!.......2003-03-16

Fourth graders find this book amazing when beginning a unit on the solar system. It helps them put the size of the Earth in perspective compared to the sun and other planets. I use an accompanying sheet that asks the children to number all of the objects from the book (a whale, the sun, etc..)in order according to size. Then they check their answers as I read the book aloud. It's a wonderful way to open the unit! Definitely get this book and try it!!

A clear winner of the Darryl Award.......2001-09-29

Fantastic book, despite the nit-picking in one of the editorial reviews above.

This book really helps little kids come to grips with the idea of relative size. My preschool and kindergarten ESL students will founder when asked to understand/believe that a little patch of color on a globe is their country (Taiwan). Heck, kids this age don't even have much idea what a country is, let alone how big it is in relation to anything else. But this book sure set some lightbulbs to poppin' over kid's heads! That's how I measure the success of my classes and the materials I use in them, and by that measure, this book is a clear winner of the Darryl Award for Excellence in Children's Literature in the Field of Science and Mathematics!

Customer Reviews:

A superbly written children's picturebook.......2004-01-15

Big Blue by Shelley Gill is a superbly written children's picturebook about Kye, a young girl who studies facts about whales, dreams with whales, and yearns to experience whales close up. At last Kye has the opportunity to outfit herself with underwater gear and see a magnificent blue whale in person. Soothing illustrations by Ann Barrow prominently featuring the color blue add a resonant depth to this charming and avidly recommended picturebook story.

Great info on blue whales.......2003-07-16

I thought this book was enjoyable to read and important in its information about an endangered species. It shows respect for whales and conveys the awesomeness of the blue whale, the largest animal on earth. The illustrations were especially beautiful and made me want to swim underwater.

El pez arco iris y la balena azul libro grande: (Rainbow Fish and the Big, Blue Whale Big Book)

Average customer rating:

El Pez Arco Iris Y La Ballena Azul

El pez arco iris y la balena azul libro grande: (Rainbow Fish and the Big, Blue Whale Big Book)
Marcus Pfister
Manufacturer: North-South
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Infantil y juvenil | Libros en español | Formats | Books

ASIN: 0735812152

Book Description

The third book in the bestselling Rainbow Fish series is now available in a spectacular big book edition.

Customer Reviews:

El Pez Arco Iris Y La Ballena Azul.......2001-06-09

This book was very good and helped me to keep my spanish intact. I sometimes had troubles trying to understand what happened but I caught on. Este libro es muy bueno y es excelente por los ninos! El libro es muy comico y los picturas es muy bien!

Bats, Blue Whales & Other Mammals (Animal Kingdom Classification)

Average customer rating:

Bats, Blue Whales & Other Mammals (Animal Kingdom Classification)
Steve Parker
Manufacturer: Compass Point Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Zoology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0756512530

Average customer rating:

The Blue Whale (Fold Out..Find Out)
Philip Steele
Manufacturer: Kingfisher Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Zoology | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1856975096

Average customer rating:

Blue Whale (Heinemann First Library)
Louise Spilsbury , and Richard Spilsbury
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books