Biological metabolic rate scales sublinearly with mass at a slope of roughly three-quarters (less than one), which means doubling an organism's size requires only about 75 percent more energy rather than double, expressing an extraordinary economy of scale: the bigger you are, the less energy per capita you need.

factualpending

Speaker

Geoffrey West

Evidence Quote

if you double the size of the organism, you actually only need 75 percent more energy

Source

Geoffrey West: The surprising math of cities and corporationsTED
Created: 7/4/2026, 9:38:42 PM

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