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A Unified Theory of Animal Locomotion

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the how-much-wood-can-a-woodchuck-chuck dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "You probably already know that there is a master equation for all life processes based on metabolism. Now, physicists from Duke University have applied the so-called 'constructal theory' to explain how running, flying and swimming modes of locomotion are similar even if they're apparently unrelated. This single unifying physics theory explains how fast animals get from one place to another and how rapidly and forcefully they step, flap or paddle in relation to their mass. In other words, these scientists argue that the characteristics of animal shape and locomotion are predictable from physics."

2 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Swimming Fish = Flying Bird? by Murphy+Murph · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Forget the penguin for a moment.

    Are birds buoyant in their fluid?
    That right there is a big difference.

    --
    I dub thee... Sir Phobos, Knight of Mars, Beater of Ass.
  2. Some robot guys already discovered that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Robotics researchers already knew that something like 'animal' locomotion could be implemented based on the principles of physics. ie. given the right mechanical setup, locomotion is almost automatic and takes no supervision by a computer.

    Actually, it's what you'd expect. Animals would naturally evolve to move in an efficient manner. It would give them an evolutionary advantage. What the bleep did these guys expect?

    www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050806/bob8.asp