What biophysical laws determine the most effective size for a given species?
“The most obvious differences between different animals are differences of size, but for some reason the zoologists have paid singularly little attention to them. In a large textbook of zoology before me I find no indication that the eagle is larger than the sparrow, or the hippopotamus bigger than the hare, though some grudging admissions are made in the case of the mouse and the whale.”
Haldane was a pioneering geneticist who thought nothing of experimenting on himself and who wrote prolifically, not only about science but also about society (he was a committed Marxist and contributed regular columns to the Daily Workernewspaper). Come to his writing for the science and stay for the crisp, clear writing reminiscent of George Orwell (and not only because of the leftwing politics) and the humour.
First published in Possible Worlds and Other Essays, Chatto and Windus, 1927 and available online at Faded Page
A Personal Anthology 