Design in Nature

Bejan (J.A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Duke Univ.), with the editorial assistance of Zane (journalism, St. Augustine's Coll., Raleigh), has written a book that should be in every academic library. In 1995, Bejan first outlined the concept of constructal law, a theory of organization that studies the thermodynamics, shape, structure, and patterns of flow systems. This emergent body of knowledge has quickly developed into a new extension of physics, with applications in fields including evolution, predictability, engineering, biology, and intelligent design. Constructal first principles are a new way of investigating the world to better predict patterns and structures in systems small (e.g., the flow of water, blood, and electricity) and large (e.g., river patterns, social organizations).