Mimi Koehl tinkers with machines. Some are so tiny they can’t be seen by the naked eye, and some disappeared millions of years ago. But Mimi isn’t a mechanic. She’s a biomechanist, a scientist who uses engineering and physics to study the designs of living things that fly, swim, drift, and crawl. She loves solving riddles about how creatures—from feathered dinosaurs to flying frogs—live and move.
Mimi’s curiosity has led her into all kinds of natural neighborhoods. She has braved turbulent waters to explore how giant green sea anemones survive crashing waves. In Chile, while studying seaweeds, a rogue wave washed Mimi off one cliff and slammed her into another one. But nothing stops her desire for discovery. To uncover answers, Mimi has attached leashes to microscopic animals and created ingenious models using raspberry gelatin and even Silly Putty. Today Mimi searches the world—and her imagination—for answers to life’s challenging mysteries.
Nature’s Machines is the thrilling story of a scientist and her science. To tell this true tale of adventure, author Deborah Parks drew on firsthand accounts from Mimi and her friends, family, and colleagues. How did a young artist bursting with curiosity grow up to become a world-class scientist? The life story of Mimi Koehl will intrigue and inspire readers of all ages.
