Comparative Biomechanics. 3 credits, 3 contact hours

Catalog description

Prerequisites: R120 201 , R120 202 , BIOL 205 and BIOL 206 all with a C or better. This course takes a comprehensive look at the mechanical aspects of life. We will examine how the forms and activities of animals and plants reflect the materials available to nature, consider rules for fluid flow and structural design, and explore how organisms contend with environmental forces. Drawing on physics, we look at how animals swim and fly, modes of terrestrial locomotion, organism responses to winds and water currents, circulatory and suspension-feeding systems, the relationship between size and mechanical design, and the links between the properties of biological materials (eg spider silk, jellyfish jelly, and muscle) and their structural and functional roles.