Who could believe an ant in theory?
A giraffe in blueprint?
Ten thousand doctors of what's possible
Could reason half the jungle out of being.
- John Ciardi
Volume grows more rapidly than surface.
One solution to decreasing surface: development of internal organs (lungs, intestinal villi)
For small creatures with high surface to volume ratios, gravity isn't an issue. Surface forces are far more influential.
Even with churches, small ones don't have and don't need transepts. As churches become larger, more surface is needed to allow more light inside. Animals invented internal organs to keep the same outward shape while volume increases. Architects can scale buildings in the same way because of inventions like internal lighting and structural steel.
Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment