The Gecko's Foot: How Scientists are Taking a Leaf from Nature's Book
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Product overview:
- New, mint-condition science book on nature-inspired ideas.
- Mint-condition copy for collectors and curious minds.
- Accessible, engaging science in a readable voice.
- In the spirit of Fermat's Last Theorem and Chaos.
- Covers nature-inspired science across modern fields.
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Summary
- New, mint-condition science book on nature-inspired ideas.
- Mint-condition copy for collectors and curious minds.
- Accessible, engaging science in a readable voice.
- In the spirit of Fermat's Last Theorem and Chaos.
- Covers nature-inspired science across modern fields.
The Gecko's Foot: How Scientists are Taking a Leaf from Nature's Book Description
The Gecko's Foot: How Scientists are Taking a Leaf from Nature's Book
Brand-new, mint-condition copy. This cutting-edge science book invites you into a world where researchers study nature's clever designs to solve modern engineering and medical challenges. From the gecko's astonishing foot to leaf-inspired surface engineering, the book shows how observation, experimentation, and modelling translate natural strategies into human technologies.
In the spirit of Fermat's Last Theorem and Chaos, the author guides you with energy and clarity, balancing rigorous science with accessible storytelling. You'll see how ideas from biology, physics, and chemistry intertwine to explain why some designs work, how they can be improved, and where biomimicry might take us next.
Whether you're a student, a curious reader, or a professional exploring new approaches to technology, this book offers a compelling map of nature's toolkit and its implications for design and innovation.
Product Code: HJ8U
Details
| OPC | PMMJ96 |
|---|---|
| Brand | ISDP |
| Codes | 0007179898 (ISBN-10) |
| 9780007179893 (ISBN) | |
| MPN | HJ8U |
Disclaimer: The information below is provided by various external sources and should be used as a guide only.
A cutting-edge science book in the style of ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’ and ‘Chaos’ from an exciting and accessible new voice in popular science writing.Bio-inspiration is a form of engineering but not in the conventional sense. Extending beyond our established and preconceived notions, scientists, architects and engineers are looking at imitating nature by manufacturing 'wet' materials such as spider silk or the surface of the gecko's foot.The amazing power of the gecko's foot has long been known – it can climb a vertical glass wall and even walk upside down on the ceiling – but no ideas could be harnessed from it because its mechanism could not be seen with the power of optical microscopes. Recently however the secret was solved by a team of scientists in Oregon who established that the mechanism really is dry, and that it does not involve suction, capillary action or anything else the lay person might imagine. Each foot has half a million bristles and each bristle ramifies into hundreds of finer spatula-shaped projections. The fine scale of the gecko's foot is beyond the capacity of conventional microengineering, but a team of nanotechnologists have already made a good initial approximation.The gecko's foot is just one of many examples of this new 'smart' science. We also discover, amongst other things, how George de Mestral's brush with the spiny fruits of the cocklebur inspired him to invent Velcro; how the shape of leaves opening from a bud has inspired the design of solar-powered satellites; and the parallels between cantilever bridges and the spines of large mammals such as the bison.The new 'smart' science of Bio-inspiration is going to produce a plethora of products over the next decades that will transform our lives, and force us to look at the world in a completely new way. It is science we will be reading about in our papers very soon; it is the science of tomorrow's world.
Alternative names:
- ISBN The Gecko’s Foot: How Scientists are Taking a Leaf from Nature's Book
Detailed Product Information
Features
| Number of pages | 356 pages |
|---|---|
| Written by | Peter Forbes |
| Publisher | Harper Perennial |
| International Standard Book Number (ISBN) | 9780007179893 |
| Book cover type | Paperback (Print-on-demand) |
| BISAC1 | Science/Essays |
| ISBN 10 | 0007179898 |
| Trim size (WxDxH) | 129 x 0 x 198 mm |
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