Mechanical Design of Structural Materials in Animals

"Combining a limited number of basic components, animals have developed a tremendous diversity of materials, most of which have not been scientifically examined or understood fully. Even the most detailed information about their chemical composition and genetic background has not answered questions about mechanical performance. In this outstanding book, Gosline shows us how to analyze the relationship between structure and function and how to exploit this knowledge to design original bioinspired materials."--Stanislav Gorb, Kiel University

"This excellent book is useful for teaching materials science or biomechanics to biologists, as well as for giving materials scientists and engineers a biological or bioinspirational perspective."--Peter Fratzl, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces

"This book argues that adaptive design in load-bearing biological materials necessarily involves contributions at multiple length and time scales ranging from nanometers and microseconds to meters and years. Well-supported through his analysis of case studies, Gosline succeeds in reconciling and integrating contributions to function at different scales as no other writer has done to date."--J. Herbert Waite, University of California, Santa Barbara