"How does life work? How does nature produce the right numbers of zebras and lions on the African savanna, or fish in the ocean? How do our bodies produce the right numbers of cells in our organs and bloodstream? In [this book] ... Sean Carroll tells the stories of the pioneering scientists who sought the answers to such simple yet profoundly important questions, and shows how their discoveries matter for our health and the health of the planet we depend upon"--Dust jacket flap.

Introduction : Miracles and wonder -- I: Everything is regulated. The wisdom of the body ; The economy of nature -- II: The logic of life. General rules of regulation ; Fat, feedback, and a miracle fungus ; Stuck accelerators and broken brakes -- III: The Serengeti rules. Some animals are more equal than others ; Serengeti logic ; Another kind of cancer ; Take 60 million walleye and call us in ten years ; Resurrection -- Afterword : Rules to live by.