2003/03/19 by V. B. Kokshenev, В. Б. Кокшенев, J. K. L. Silva +5
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #FOS: Biological sciences #FOS: Physical sciences #General Physics (physics.gen-ph) #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Physiological and biochemical adaptations #Quantitative Biology (q-bio) #physics.bio-ph #physics.gen-ph #q-bio
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.physics/0303074
15 pages, 1 figure
arxiv created 2003/03/19 · openalex publication_date 2003/03/19 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
A natural similarity in body dimensions of terrestrial animals noticed by ancient philosophers remains the main key to the problem of mammalian skeletal evolution with body mass explored in theoretical and experimental biology and tested by comparative zoologists. We discuss the long-standing problem of mammalian bone allometry commonly studied in terms of the so-called ''geometric'', ''elastic'', and ''static stress'' similarities by McMahon (1973, 1975a, 1975b). We revise the fundamental assumptions underlying these similarities and give new physical insights into geometric-shape and elastic-force constraints imposed on spatial evolution of mammalian long bones.