Why Geese Don't Get Obese (And We Do): How Evolution's Strategies for Survival Affect Our Everyday Lives

Imagine eating 50 gluttonous Thanksgiving dinners a day-without gaining a pound. If you were a shrew, not only could you eat this much, you would have to. Similarly, while most of us can't hold our breath very long, the Weddell seal can (and sometimes must) remain under water for a full 75 minutes.

These creatures owe their extraordinary capabilities to their need to survive. But these types of talents aren't limited to nonhuman animals. We humans have developed a few reasonably astonishing adaptations of our own. In Why Geese Don't Get Obese, Eric P. Widmaier describes how humans and other creatures have evolved to meet existence-threatening environmental challenges. Surprising examples and a light approach to some serious science make this a delightful look at the extraordinary everyday physiological capabilities of living things. 16 illustrations.