Why are bigger animals more energy-efficient? A new answer to a centuries-old biological puzzle
A new theory linking metabolism and size shows how evolution, not physics, is the driving force behind many of life’s patterns.
theconversation.com
Why are bigger animals more energy-efficient? A new answer to a centuries-old biological puzzle.
If you think about “unraveling the mysteries of the universe”, you probably think of physics: astronomers peering through telescopes at distant galaxies, or experimenters smashing particles to smithereens at the Large Hadron Collider.
When biologists try to unravel deep mysteries of life, we too tend to reach for physics. But our new research, published in Science, shows physics may not always have the answers to questions of biology.
For centuries scientists have asked why, kilo for kilo, large animals burn less energy and require less food than small ones. Why does a tiny shrew need to consume as much as three times its body weight in food each day, while an enormous baleen whale can get by on a daily diet of just 5-30% of its body weight in krill?
While previous efforts to explain this relationship have relied on physics and geometry, we believe the real answer is evolutionary. This relationship is what maximises an animal’s ability to produce offspring.
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