Overview

Several books have been published on scaling in biology and its ramifications in the animal kingdom. However, none has specifically examined the multifaceted effects of how changes in human height create disproportionately larger changes in weight, surface area, strength and other physiological parameters. Yet, the impact of these non-linear effects on individual humans as well as our world's environment is enormous. Since increasing human body size has widespread ramifications, this book presents findings on the human species and its ecological niche. In biology, an ecological niche' refers to the role played by a species in its community and how the species interacts with its environment. Thus, a few chapters provide an ecological overview of how increasing human body size relates to human evolution, fitness, health, survival and the environment. This book provides a unique purview of the laws of scaling on human performance, health, longevity and the environment. Numerous examples from various research disciplines are used to illustrate the impact of increasing body size on many aspects of human enterprises, including work output, athletics and intellectual performance.

Full Product Details

Author:   Thomas T Samaras
Publisher:   Nova Science Publishers Inc
Imprint:   Nova Science Publishers Inc
Edition:   illustrated edition
Dimensions:   Width: 26.00cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 18.00cm
Weight:   0.888kg
ISBN:  

9781600214080

ISBN 10:   1600214088
Pages:   380
Publication Date:   26 April 2007
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Awaiting stock  
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Table of Contents

Foreword; Why the study of human size is important; Human scaling and the body mass index; Advantages of taller human height; Advantages of shorter human height; Body height and its relation to chronic disease and longevity; BMI and weight: their relation to diabetes, CVD, cancer and all-cause mortality; The obesity epidemic, birthweight, rapid growth and superior nutrition; Long-lived mutant, gene knockout and transgenic mice; The evolutionary ecology of body size with special reference to allometry and survivorship; Overview of research on giant transgenic mice with emphasis on the brain and ageing; Speculations on the evolutionary ecology of Homo sapiens with special reference to body size, allometry and survivorship; Birthweight, height, brain size and intellectual ability; Impact of body size on resources, pollution, the environment and economics; Final remarks on human size, scaling and ecological implications; Index.

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