In "Friction," tribologist Jennifer Vail shows how the fundamental force that resists motion keeps driving us forward.

In manufacturing, not all losses are loud. Some happen quietly, every second, in the background. Friction is one of them. Each time two parts move, whether turning, sliding or rolling, energy is lost.

What do you do when you feel like your entire life is friction? When everything is hard, heavy, and uphill? It would not help us to pretend that optimizing our morning routines will fix the world's ...