Geoffrey West's research centres on a quest to find unifying principles and patterns connecting everything, from cells and ecosystems to cities, social networks and businesses.

Why do organisms and ecosystems scale with size in a remarkably universal and systematic fashion?

Is there a maximum size of cities? Of animals and plants? What about companies?

Can scale show us how to create a more sustainable future?

By applying the rigour of physics to questions of biology, visionary physicist Geoffrey West found that despite the riotous diversity in the sizes of mammals, they are all, to a large degree, scaled versions of each other. This speaks to everything from how long we can expect to live to how many hours of sleep we need. He then made the even bolder move of exploring his work's applicability to cities and to the business world. These investigations have led to powerful insights about the elemental natural laws that bind us together in profound ways, and how all complex systems are dancing to the same simple tune, however diverse and unrelated they may seem.

"'The sort of big-ideas book that comes along only every few years . . . This is a book full of thrilling ideas'" - Sunday Times

"'Magisterial . . . you reach the end of this profound, revealing book rewarded. West shows how scientific method helps to peel back the hidden reality of our world. The concepts of physics dominated the last century. It is the concepts of biology - of networks, evolution and feedback dynamics - that are going to dominate the next'" - The Times

"'Quite dazzling . . . The book proceeds by introducing one mathematical concept in each chapter (power laws, fractals and so on), and explaining it vividly through numerous examples drawn from biology, history, urban planning, and many other fields . . . written with great joy and a disarming humility'" - The Spectator

"'Trees, brains, hallucinogenics and even imaginary monsters are considered in this joyous, mind-boggling study of scientific methods'" - Telegraph, Top 50 Best Books of 2017

"'An enchanting intellectual odyssey . . . also a satisfying personal and professional memoir of a distinguished scientist whose life's work came to be preoccupied with finding ways to break down traditional boundaries between disciplines to solve the long-term global challenges of sustainability . . . Mr West manages to deliver a lot of theory and history accessibly and entertainingly . . . Provocative and fascinating'" - New York Times

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This book is breathtaking in its scope and vision! It represents the culmination of exciting theoretical work addressing critical questions in life. Written by a clever physicist and one of the most influential thinkers of the time, Geoffrey West, this volume elaborates on the author's intriguing discovery that the growth, organisation and dynamics of humans, animals and plants scale with their size. .....It is really an enjoyable read
that takes readers on a journey of fresh insights and illuminating perspectives.

"In this "grand unified theory of sustainability", physicist Geoffrey West explores underlying laws that link society and nature, called scaling theory. Insights (into city size and walking speed, for instance) abound" - NATURE