LabKitty Recommends: Prime Mover -- A Natural History of Muscle

Steven Vogel is the Stephen Jay Gould of biophysics; what Gould did in bringing evolution to the masses, Vogel does for physics applied to living things. He has given us books like (the award-winning) Cat's Paws and Catapults, Vital Circuits: On Pump, Pipes, and the Workings of the Circulatory System, and many others. Eminently accessible treatments explaining the manifestations of Newton's laws, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics at work inside each of us, be you cat or some other lesser creature.

For my money though, his best work is Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle. Here, Vogel takes a look at all things muscle. How it works and how we found out. How we exploit mechanical advantage in everything from hand tools to sports to killing. The upper limits on exertion. Why humans are (probably) good to eat. Why we suck at flying. Vogel presents not just the what and how, but also the larger implications on history and culture. The anthropology of biophysics, so to speak. Why a horse is a better choice than an ox for a farmer (and why an elephant isn't). Why East African women carry heavy loads on their heads and not on their backs. Why George Washington considered arming his soldiers with the bow-and-arrow instead of muskets. And if you ever find your party stranded in the Alps or on an elevator, the chapter Muscle as Meat will help you decide who (and what) gets eaten first.

If you're looking for an adventure that features not only sarcomeres and hemoglobin but also an analysis of the Greek trireme and a history of the prison treadmill system, Prime Mover is just the ticket.

See Prime Mover on Amazon