Extended Organism The Physiology of Animal-Built Structures

"The book's greatest strength...is Turner's masterful use of reductionism to establish his holistic view. With stimulating explications of thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, electrical circuits, fractals and acoustics, among others, he shows how these processes underlie the workings of animal structures. The structure itself, however, provides the key. It serves as a kind of nexus where elemental processes within the organism commingle with those of the environment. The result is 'superorganismal physiology'--a whole greater than the sum of its parts and far more wondrous. Reductionism-holism, phenotype-environment, inside-outside: life is rarely simple, and truth so often dwells in nuance. As Turner suggests, 'The relentless rejection of the simple can open up marvelous vistas of new biology to explore.'''Turner, J. Scott is the author of 'Extended Organism The Physiology of Animal-Built Structures' with ISBN 9780674009851 and ISBN 0674009851.