Podcast Summary — New Books Network: Jennifer Vail, "Friction: A Biography" (Harvard UP, 2026)
Date: February 3, 2026
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Dr. Jennifer Vail, tribologist and author

Episode Overview

This episode explores Jennifer Vail’s new book, Friction: A Biography, delving into the origins, science, and cultural perceptions of friction, its laws and mechanisms, as well as its profound impact across history, technology, biology, and even environmental issues. Dr. Vail, a practising tribologist, guides listeners through the journey of friction from ancient times to cutting-edge research, challenging the common perception of friction as merely an obstacle and highlighting its essential role in our world.

Key Discussion Points

1. Why a Biography of Friction?

• Introduction to Dr. Vail and Motivation
  • Dr. Vail explains her career in tribology, the study of friction, wear, and lubrication. The book aims to reframe friction from simply a “problem” to an unsung hero necessary for the functionality of everything that moves.
  • Quote: "Friction has a story to tell ... its reach is amazing ... it's necessary and powerful, as well as ubiquitous." (02:38, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

2. Origins of Tribology and "Friction Studies"

• Etymology and Disciplinary History
  • The formal term tribology was coined only in the 1960s, emerging from the convergence of engineering and material failure investigations.
  • Quote: "Lubrication was limiting. So the head of that committee, Peter Jost, actually reached out to the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary ... and the editor proposed 'tribology.' It has Greek origins: tribos means 'to rub.'" (04:31, Dr. Jennifer Vail)
• Historical Roots
  • Though the field is modern, human manipulation of friction dates to ancient Sumerians and Egyptians using lubricants for pottery wheels and chariots.
  • Da Vinci recognized as the 'founding father,' but his unpublished work was rediscovered after a century.

3. The Laws of Friction

• Overview of Fundamental Laws
  • Law 1: Friction is proportional to normal force (picture: pressing down on a book increases friction).
  • Law 2: Friction is independent of contact area.
  • Law 3: Friction is independent of velocity—though, in practice, this often breaks down at high speeds.
  • Quote: "The third law holds up in a lot of cases. But it does get broken, which... is not usually the case when we talk about laws in science." (11:16, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

4. Mechanisms of Friction

• Adhesion vs Deformation
  • At a micro level, friction arises from the breaking of adhesive bonds or the deformation of minute surface "hills and valleys."
  • Debris and wear come from deformation.
  • Quote: "Friction is that breaking of the bond ... the energy it takes to break that bond is how much energy you have to put in to overcome the friction." (12:10, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

5. Friction in Solids, Liquids, and Gases

• Fluids and Internal Friction
  • Friction isn’t limited to solids. Liquids and gases exhibit viscosity, or internal resistance to flow.
  • Engineering (e.g., car aerodynamics) relies on specialists mitigating fluid friction (drag).

6. Friction in Space

• Space Machines and Gravitational Friction
  • Friction is critical for spacecraft and satellites, which require tailored lubricants for extreme conditions.
  • Tidal friction (Earth’s oceans against the moon’s gravity) even contributes to Earth’s rotational slowing; dynamical friction arises from gravitational drag between celestial masses.
  • Quote: "Where there's movement, there's friction ... we've had to engineer new materials and use solid lubricants." (16:14, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

7. Friction in the Human Body and Medicine

• Joint Replacements and Recalls
  • Hip replacement failures revealed the importance of matching frictional properties between artificial and biological systems.
  • Quote: "Now, you rarely ever hear about [hip implant failures] ... we have a better design, better materials, and crucially, a better way of testing." (18:15, Dr. Jennifer Vail)
• Protein Folding and Disease
  • Friction at a molecular level can affect protein folding — important in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
• Friction in Infection Therapies
  • Engineering friction into bacterial delivery could enable new infection-fighting therapies.
  • Notable Moment: Vail describes how friction can “slow down ejection” of DNA, allowing beneficial bacteria to battle harmful ones. (21:50–22:14)

8. The Science and History of Lubrication

• From Ancient Grease to High-Tech Lubes
  • Roman chariots: Animal fats igniting from heat, early "pit stops" using water to cool wheels.
  • Today: Composites and nanoscale coatings optimize friction in machines and electronics.
  • Quote: "These advances with friction have helped enable the technology that we use and take for granted every day." (25:00, Dr. Jennifer Vail)
• Application-Specific Choices
  • Tribologists always say "it depends": lubricant choice is dictated by context—temperature, environment, expected loads/speeds.

9. Friction, Energy, and Climate Change

• Reducing friction can save massive amounts of global energy—up to 20% is used just fighting friction losses.
• Advances have already made cars much more fuel-efficient.
  • Quote: "That's why [tribology] is such a powerful tool to use friction ... as a way to reduce our energy consumption." (29:00, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

10. Friction in Everyday Life and Culture

• Encourages readers to see friction everywhere: sports, engineering, even art (violin bows, Olympic skiing).
  • Memorable Example: Dr. Vail’s favorite tribological problem: curling. Pebbled ice, surface texturing, sweeping to alter friction—it's complex, controversial, and "fascinatingly complex." (31:13–32:43)

11. Looking Ahead

• Dr. Vail plans to focus on outreach ("being the ambassador for friction") and is brainstorming future projects—but nothing concrete yet.

Memorable Quotes and Moments

• On the pervasiveness of friction:
  "Friction ... touches everything that's moving. So it has taken us on a journey, and we've been on a journey with friction." (02:38, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

• On the naming of tribology:
  "Greek origins really tend to go over well with sciences." (04:31, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

• On ancient Roman chariots and lubrication:
  "They would throw a bucket of water onto the chariot to cool the whole thing down ... probably our first pit stop type thing." (23:00–23:41, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

• On friction's impact on climate:
  "It's understood to be about 20% of our global energy consumption is dealing with overcoming friction." (27:56, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

• On curling as the ultimate tribological conundrum:
  "It's really interesting because ... there isn't really a general consensus about how they can get the really low friction between the start stone and the ice ... There's so much surface science in tribology. And that's what the sweepers are doing ... everything about curling is really going down to the friction." (31:17–32:43, Dr. Jennifer Vail)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:28] — Why write a biography of friction?
• [04:31] — The roots and naming of tribology
• [08:59] — The laws of friction explained
• [11:58] — Microscopic mechanisms: adhesion vs deformation
• [13:34] — Friction in fluids, viscosity, and drag
• [16:14] — Friction in space, tidal friction, and cosmic drag
• [18:15] — Friction inside the human body and medical devices
• [22:38] — Ancient lubrication: chariots, fats, and fire
• [25:39] — How tribologists determine the “best” lubricant
• [27:56] — Reducing friction to fight climate change
• [31:13] — Friction in curling and the Olympic Games
• [32:59] — Dr. Vail’s future plans

Conclusion

Dr. Jennifer Vail’s Friction: A Biography reframes friction as indispensable to both human progress and everyday life. The conversation reveals how friction is woven into the fabric of everything from ancient engineering to space exploration, biology, and global sustainability. Told with humor and abundant examples, the episode will leave listeners newly appreciative—and perhaps a little obsessed—with the hidden stories behind every squeak, slide, or glide in their lives.

For deeper insights and stories, pick up the book or revisit the episode!