• Who was the one with the unusual name who was voted the second "greatest Briton" after Churchill, before Diana, Shakespeare, Newton, and Darwin, even John Lennon and David Beckham?

• What connection might this have with determining the appropriate dosage of medicines for humans through experiments on mice? Or with the processes of aging and, ultimately, the death of living beings — including us — and the fact that the human lifespan seems to have a theoretical maximum limit?

• Is it not strange that such processes have their counterpart in the way companies grow and die?

• What connection might the structure of the human brain have with the infrastructure networks of cities, and how do these relate to the networks of socioeconomic relationships in cities all over the globe?

• Do the potential answers to the above help us tackle the pressing issues of our time, primarily the issue of sustainability and the planet's sustainable development?

Physicist Geoffrey West is a pioneer in the fields of complexity science, emerging systems, and networks. However, the term "complexity" can be misleading, as what makes West's discoveries so beautiful is the underlying simplicity that unifies the seemingly complex and diverse phenomena of living systems, cities, and our businesses.

Fascinated by aging and mortality, West applied the rigor of a physicist to the biological question: "Why does our life last as long as it does, and not longer?" The result was astonishing; he discovered that all mammals are scaled versions of one another. If we know the size of a mammal, we can use scaling laws to learn everything about it, from how much food it consumes daily, its heart rate, how long it takes to reach maturity, to its lifespan.

Moreover, the efficiency of mammals' circulatory systems scales based on their weight: by comparing a mouse, a human, and an elephant on a logarithmic graph, we find that as each species doubles in average weight, it becomes 25% more efficient and lives 25% longer. Essentially, West proved that the issue is linked to the fractal geometry of the networks that supply energy and remove waste from the organism.

West's work changed the game for biologists; but then he made the even bolder move of investigating the applicability of his work. Cities also represent network patterns and obey scaling laws with eerie precision. Furthermore, West applied his groundbreaking work to the business and social world. This research led to significant understanding of why some companies thrive while others fail, why the pace of life and the rate of innovation continue to accelerate, and finally, why this dynamic now threatens global sustainability.

The implications of his specific discoveries are profound and their exploration is just beginning.

They said about the book:

• "If there were a Nobel Prize for interdisciplinary research, West would have won it for the work covered in his book Scale. [...]" — Bill Miller, emeritus president of the Santa Fe Institute

• "A gripping read. [...] Like the best detective story, West unfolds before us the astonishing challenge of understanding why biological organisms, cities, and companies scale so uniformly, [...] and then skillfully reveals the secrets discovered by his detective intuition. This book captures the spirit of 21st-century science, revealing the deeper connections not only between physics and biology but also between society and life. [...]" — Marcus du Sautoy, professor of the Simon i Chair for the Public Understanding of Science, University of Oxford

• "I cannot imagine a more exciting author today worldwide than West. Approaching with the keen mind of a physicist questions that are truly astonishing, he forces us to rethink everything, from our bodies to the megacities where our species increasingly chooses to reside. The book Scale is a spectacular display of serious science popularization." — Niall Ferguson, professor of history, Harvard University

• "This is an important and original book, of immense scope. Geoffrey West is extraordinarily knowledgeable, with ideas traversing physics, biology, and the social sciences. He shows that the sizes, shapes, and lifespans of living entities exhibit astonishing correlations and patterns, and that these arise from basic physical principles. He then discovers — something even more astonishing — the emergence of similar 'scaling laws' in human societies, cities, corporations, and our social networks. The findings are presented in clear language, free of technical details, interspersed with anecdotal episodes that illuminate how these concepts are constructed, along with a profound appreciation of why they matter to those planning our future. This compelling book deserves to be widely read." — Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal of Britain

• "I invited scientists from many institutions and a wide range of fields to combine their thoughts towards a more sustainable world. West is a leading figure in this effort, and this book is an essential product of refining invaluable approaches. West offers fundamental and significant ideas concerning the challenges represented by maintaining complexity in the face of dangerous simplifications." — Murray Gell-Mann, Nobel Prize in Physics, co-founder of the Santa Fe Institute

• "Every person must learn to read, write, and measure, and those who know how to measure must learn what scaling means. Scaling is the most important — and yet, rarely discussed — characteristic, without understanding which one cannot comprehend the world. This book will extend your thinking from three dimensions to four. Buy two copies, in case you lose one." — Nassim Nicholas Taleb, professor of risk management, New York University

• "Scale offers a deeply personal narrative about the origin and evolution of allometric scaling, enriched with West's distinct voice. [...] West’s penetrating analysis and astute observations patiently construct an intellectual framework that ultimately rewards the reader, providing a new perspective on the many scales at which Nature and society challenge us." — Albert-László Barabási, professor of physics and complex networks, University of Notre Dame

• "In the history of science, it is rare for someone to have a grand, bold, beautiful, astonishingly simple new idea that also happens to be correct. Geoffrey West had such an idea. And in his book Scale, he tells its story." — Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics, Cornell University

• "When Geoffrey West, a brilliant theoretical physicist, turned to the study of lifespan, biological systems, and cities, he stumbled upon a radical universal idea that changed the rules of the game concerning growth and sustainability. Scale is a dazzling and provocative book, and West emerges as a captivating and entertaining writer. It is a book that we will be discussing for a long time." — Abraham Verghese, professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine

• "The book Scale by Geoffrey West is a revelation. [...] The book is essential reading for business executives, technologists, city leaders, stakeholders on urban issues, and anyone who wishes to understand the simple laws that shape the complex, self-organizing world we inhabit." — Richard Florida, professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto

• "A mesmerizing intellectual odyssey. [...] Also, a delightful personal and professional narrative of a distinguished scientist whose lifelong work has been dedicated to finding ways to break down traditional boundaries between scientific fields so that global challenges of sustainability can be addressed. [...] Mr. West offers us abundant theory and history, in a way that is accessible and entertaining. [...] A provocative and compelling work." — The New York Times

• "Scale is a book of big ideas, and such books are written only once every few years. [...] A book full of exciting ideas." — The Sunday Times (London)

• "Geoffrey West's insightful analysis and clever observations create an intellectual framework that ultimately rewards you, providing you with a new perspective on the many scales with which Nature and society challenge us. [...] A mesmerizing journey. [...]" — Science

• "Scale, a grand synthesis of themes that Geoffrey West has studied for decades, argues compellingly and eloquently for the significance of universal laws of size and scaling in the physical and human worlds, and whether these two realms can be harmonized. [...]" — Nature