The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body

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This book is well-written in an entertaining yet informative style . Furthermore, the book touched on many unanticipated yet interesting topics, and effortlessly filled holes in my knowledge with details that expanded my understanding of those subjects .

I have a very rare channelopathy, so I picked up this book at my local library to better understand my condition. I was enthralled with her ability to simplify the complexity of the function of ion channels. In the last fifteen years the field has exploded with information. It has been difficult to keep up with all of the new research. This book laid it out in simple terms that a non-scientist can understand. I did not appreciate my disorder being compared to a syndrome suffered by quarter-horses or myotonic goats. Like most researchers, she seems to lack the understanding of a human living with a channelopathy. After reading it part of the way through, I bought the book, and suggested it to many others. It is a very good book for those trying to understand migraines, periodic paralysis, some forms of epilepsy, myotonia, cystic fibrosis, and other channelopathies. I will keep it on my shelf for reference. I hope she follows up with more indepth books on the subject.

This is a great book. It explains, in terms the layman can follow, how electricity works in the body, how it is different from the electricity that keeps the lights on, what exactly is a pore in the cell membrane and the staggering number of ions that can pass through a single pore, how the pore actively regulates the passage of phosphorus ions (large) and sodium ions (small) in and out of the cell across the cell membrane. Years ago I wondered how ATP worked, how did it actually make a muscle cell contract, and then I found an explanation: a fast acting ratcheting mechanism. This book answers "how does it work, really?" questions. I have not finished reading it yet, but every chapter is fascinating. It's a perfect book for Kindle.

A very readable and informative book concerning the functioning of our bodies residing in the minutae of the components of our cells. As the title suggests the relationship of electricity to our celluar functions is clearly explored. Interesting information is included concerning the progression of our knowledge of this subject over time with reference to maladies that have arisen due to dysfunction or mutation of our cells. The heart, brain and other organs are separately covered over the course of the book which utilizes pictures, diagrams and a bit of poetry to illustrate the information conveyed.

I was pretty excited to read this book based on the preview here, but it quickly became quite dry. It isn't all bad as some of the historical anecdotes were interesting, but a lot of the science was hard to imagine (I am a chemist and I still had to resort to YouTube for animations of exactly what was going on). I guess the more bio chem you have, the more you will enjoy this book. I would not recommend it to a casual reader though as you will quickly rue your decision to spend $12 on it.

Ms. Ashcroft explains very clearly and very interestingly the workings of the cell, mainly the cell membrane and its protein ion gates. She illustrates with many examples that will hold your attention and you will find yourself saying "wow! I didn't know that!" as you read. The book is easily read, understood and a complicated part of human physiology is explained very well. I would even consider it suitable for a textbook or addition to any class discussing human physiology.

Much of the content has been an overall review of A&P some general and some with a bit more depth or scientific studies or interest stories I already knew. A bit slow to get into and an ocassional inaccuracy but otherwise a worthy read if you need refreshing or are not familiar with such topics.

I was afraid this might be too dry/technical but it was interesting and even entertaining. There were a few sections where the detail became a little boring/overly technical for me but the rest of it was well balanced with solid science and interesting tidbits. Good subject matter.

The book is quite interesting, if a little lightweight; I bought it as a light reading, indeed, but I had hoped in a more central role of ion channels. The book, however, is interesting and rich in historical and medical information - a bit anedoctical here, a bit superficial there.I give it only three stars mainly because Norton editors did not work too well, this time; so I have found at least two gross errors in the book: the speed of light is said to be "186 MILLIONS miles per second" (instead of 186,000) (page 37) and Descartes is said to be alive "back in the FIFTEENTH century" (page 281). Well, I know that the Author is not a physicist, nor she is a historian of philosophy; on the other hand, the Editors appear to have not been, well, Editors. Quite embarassing for a publisher like Norton. Plus, a light-fast check on Wikipedia (even by the Author) would have been sufficient to avoid such errors.

Frances Ashcroft is to cell biology what Brian Cox is to particle physics. Both bring what are highly complex and specialist subjects to the general reader and make them accessible. They bring a sense of excitement and meaning to their subject, which is both inquisitive and insightful but never banal.The author is an innovatory scientist who specializes in the functioning of the pancreas, the beta cells in particular. Those cells produce insulin, a vital hormone that allows glucose to pass into all body cells, hence providing the fuel that converts into energy. What Ashcroft doesn't know about the pancreas, isn't worth knowing.She has researched extensively the tiny trap doors in the cell's walls, protein ion channels, that control the passage of glucose into the cell. The fact is she actually discovered the very mechanism of this action in her laboratory. She relates this event in a way that conveys the sheer joy of discovering something entirely new, entirely wonderful. Makes you almost want to be a lab rat. I got the same sense of discovery reading her recollection of the event as in Crick and Watson's description of their hunt for the means with which DNA molecules replicate. Awe inspiring stuff.Her book covers material that illustrates just why we have come to recognize that we along with all other animals, run on an electrical charge in one form or another. All regions of the body use the same physiology to obtain the energy to function, from the brain to the kidneys to the skin. Ashcroft relates the history of how biology discovered how synaptic transmitters work, to how the human genome project has accelerated the search for cures for common diseases.If there's a more enjoyable science book published this year, I will be amazed.

An excellent account in which complex work is explained in a clear, easily understandable way. The author draws on a wide range of knowledge of the mechanisms and effects of ion channels in electric fish, in various human diseases and the similarity of action of nitroglycerine and Viagra . There are humorous illustrations of the way in which some early discoveries and of anecdotes such as the duet between Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren.

Excellent book on how electricity controls our bodies. The book focuses on ion channels and depolarisation and repolarisation of cells changing electrical potentials. The author explains in simple terms how ion channels work. She explains how many different conditions arise due to faulty channels including why we become dehydrated after over consumption of alcohol. I highly recommend this book.