All of these functions come from the remarkable structure of feathers, explored in two chapters in 'Birds Up Close,' by MIT materials engineer and lifelong birder Lorna J. Gibson. The book takes a microscopic look at birds' feathers, bones, bills, eggs, and the mechanics of flight to explain their extraordinary abilities ' how they can hover in place, silently swoop down on prey, and fly hundreds of miles without tiring. Gibson spent four decades studying the mechanical behavior of materials ' examining their underlying structure to determine what makes them hard or soft, supple or brittle. She specialized in cellular materials, such as engineered honeycombs and foams, as well as natural ones such as wood and bamboo. Now a post-tenure professor, she's turned her materials engineering perspective to birds, a subject that has long fascinated her. She's given talks on the properties of feathers, including the Department of Materials Science and Engineering's Wulff Lecture in 2017, and...
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