Constructal law can predict patterns in living sysems. [Link]
“Our finding that animal locomotion adheres to constructal law tells us that – even though you couldn’t predict exactly what animals would look like if you started evolution over on earth, or it happened on another planet – with a given gravity and density of their tissues, the same basic patterns of their design would evolve again,” [Penn state biologist James] Marden added.
The law, which [Adrian] Bejan started describing in 1996, is the principle that flow systems evolve in time to balance and minimize imperfections, reducing friction or other forms of resistance, so that they flow more and more easily in time. He is fond of using illustrations to make his point. For example, he has used images ranging from the branching symmetries of the lungs, river basins and trees touching top-to-top.
Adrian Bejan sent us a message: “The latest in this field is being posted regularly by a Paris computer architect at http://www.constructal.org Take a look.” He also points to “their newest review article … in Physics of Life Reviews – link to pdf.