The Books
R. McNeill Alexander
Animal Mechanics, Sidgewick and Jackson (1968)
More rigorous than "Exploring Biomechanics"
Size and Shape, Edward Arnold (1971)
One of the excellent 'Studies in Biology' series
Exploring Biomechanics: Animals in Motion, W. H. Freeman (1992)
One of the 'Scientific American' series
Engelbert Broda
The Evolution of the Bioenergetic Processes, Pergamon (1975)
Deals with respiration, photosynthesis and energy-storage materials.
Recommended.
Paul Colinvaux
Why Big Fierce Animals Are Rare, Penguin (1980)
Essays on ecological themes, by a real ecologist. Some of his
conclusions are rubbish (such as his opinion that tyrannosaurs could not hunt
because they were too big) but many of the essays give valuable insights on the
ecological background to the world we observe.
John D. Currey
Animal Skeletons, Edward Arnold (1970)
One of the excellent 'Studies in Biology' series
Horace W. Davenport
The ABC of Acid-Base Chemistry: The Elements of Physiological Blood-Gas Chemistry for..., Univ. of Chicago Press ()
"...for Medical Students and Physicians". Good.
Richard Dawkins
The Blind Watchmaker, Penguin (1991)
Although science-fictional alien designs are, of course, artificial, they should
look as though they were naturally evolved by Darwinian processes (unless
events in the story turn out otherwise, of course!). Richard Dawkins' books are
the staunchest defence of Darwinian evolution today, and also one of the
clearest-written. Sean Ellis has kindly written
a short review
of "The Blind Watchmaker"; his
Personal Home Page
also contains links to other science sites, including the Richard Dawkins
website.
David Evered and Maeve O'Connor
Silicon Biochemistry: Ciba Foundation Symposium no. 121, Wiley-Interscience (1986)
Includes papers such as "Silica in higher plants", "Structural aspects of
biogenic silica" and other issues relating to the use of silicon by living
creatures.
G.E. Fogg
Photosynthesis, Hodder and Stoughton (1972)
This book is a classic. It deals with alternatives to the usual style of
photosynthesis in a way that Hall and Rao do not.
Sally Foy
The Grand Design: Form and colour in animals, J. M. Dent & Sons (1982)
A lavish coffee table book on form and function in evolution
J.E. Gordon
The New Science of Strong Materials: or Why You Don't Fall Through the Floor, Penguin (1976)
Includes a few examples of biological materials
Structures: or Why Things Don't Fall Down, Penguin (1978)
"Structures" is a very popular book written by a materials scientist. Gordon
gives several explicitly biological examples, but the whole book is useful in
helping the reader think about the structural aspects of organisms.
The Science of Structures and Materials, W. H. Freeman (1988)
One of the 'Scientific American' series
D. O. Hall and K. K. Rao
Photosynthesis, Cambridge Univ. Press (1994)
One of the new 'Studies in Biology' series, now in paperback
Heinz A. Lowenstam and Steven Weiner
On Biomineralisation, Oxford Univ. Press (1989)
The standard reference from the leading authority. This book lists every
possible combination of minerals used by organisms, from the calcium carbonate
in the chitin of crab shells to strontium sulphate used by some forams.
T.A. McMahon and J.T. Bonner
On Size and Life, W. H. Freeman (1983)
One of the "Scientific American" series. Deals with the effects of scale on the
structure of plants and animals.
A. E. Needham
The Uniqueness of Biological Materials, Pergamon ()
Argues that most or all biochemicals are irreplaceable in biology. This is bad
for alien designers, since it limits the possibilities for interesting changes!
Colin J. Pennycuick
Animal Flight, Edward Arnold (1972)
One of the excellent 'Studies in Biology' series
Bird Flight Performance: A Practical Calculation Manual, Oxford Univ. Press (1975)
I haven't read this one yet
Newton Rules Biology: A physical approach to biological problems, Oxford Univ. Press (1992)
This book deals with muscles, scaling, fractals in biology and ecosystems. The
title sums up my attitude to alien design!
John Postgate
The Outer Reaches of Life, Cambridge Univ. Press (1994)
For alien designers, this book is a source of exotic biochemistries. I can do
no better than reproduce part of
Danny Yee's
review of this book, which can be found, with over three hundred others at Danny Yee's Book
Reviews
"_The Outer Reaches of Life_ is an exploration of some of the more intriguing
facts about microbiotic life, about life at the edges of the possible. In it
Postgate describes bacteria which can live in extreme environments and bacteria
capable of the most unusual metabolic feats. Some bacteria are happy at over
100 degrees Celsius (in water under pressure); others can survive freezing and
remain active almost as long as water remains liquid. Bacteria can live under
intense pressure on the ocean floor, in saturated salt solutions, in acidic and
alkaline environments (from pH 2 to pH 13) and, of course, in anaerobic
environments. Some of these bacteria can tolerate these environments; others
actually require them. When it comes to diet, there are bacteria which
metabolise iron, sulphur, hydrogen, acids, oils, and even stranger things.
Bacteria capable of fixing nitrogen are are a particular oddity, as well as
being of critical importance in global ecosystems. Another surprise are
bacteria which can live on very dilute concentrations of nutrients, obtained
from the air or from distilled water; these have caused all sorts of headaches
for experimental microbiologists."
Copyright (c) 1996 Danny Yee (danny@cs.su.oz.au)
Knut Schmidt-Neilsen
Scaling: Why animal size is important, ()
Deals with similar themes to McMahon and Bonner's "On Size and Life"
How Animals Work, Cambridge Univ. Press (1972)
Mostly on gas and heat exchange - good
Animal Physiology: Adaptation and environment, Cambridge Univ. Press (1975)
Treats animals as chemical, physical and mechanical systems - good
(now in its 4th edition (1990)
Ian Stewart and Martin Golubitsky
Fearful Symmetry: Is God a Geometer?, Blackwell Scientific (1992)
Chapters 7 and 8 talk about symmetry in biology
D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson
On Growth and Form, Cambridge Univ. Press (1942)
What can I say? A classic.
(note: the edition cited here is the abridged
paperback, but most of the really relevant stuff is there)
Julian Vincent
Structural Biomaterials, Princeton Univ. Press (1990)
Materials science for biologists - answers such questions as "what are the
spines of a hedgehog for?" (it's not what you think!)
Steven Vogel
Life in Moving Fluids: The Physical Biology of Flow, Willard Grant (1981)
Excellent book on aero- and hydrodynamics in biology.
Life's Devices: The Physical World of Plants and Animals, Princeton Univ. Press (1988)
Good all-round intro to the physics of biology, well-referenced. Recommended as
an entry to the literature.
Stephen A. Wainwright and John D. Currey
Mechanical Design in Organisms, Edward Arnold (1976)
A wonderful book! A frequently-cited classic.
Axis and Circumference: The Cylindrical Shape of Plants and Animals, Harvard Univ. Press (1988)
I haven't read this yet.
A.J. Ward-Smith
Biophysical Aerodynamics and the Natural Environment, Wiley-Interscience (1984)
Not too bad - Vogel is generally better, though.
Edward O. Wilson
The Diversity of Life, Penguin (1992)
Deals with speciation, adaptive radiation and other aspects of biodiversity
Introduction |
The Books |
Notes on Authors
The Alien Design Bibliography by Del Cotter
alien-design@branta.demon.co.uk