The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body: Frances Ashcroft: 9780393078039: Amazon.com: Books
The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body Complete Numbers Starting with 1, 1st Ed Edition
by Frances Ashcroft (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 51 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0393078039
ISBN-10: 0393078035Why is ISBN important?
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A lively exploration of the surprising role that electricity plays in our bodies.
What happens during a heart attack? Can someone really die of fright? What is death, anyway? How does electroshock treatment affect the brain? What is consciousness? The answers to these questions lie in the electrical signals constantly traveling through our bodies, driving our thoughts, our movements, and even the beating of our hearts.The history of how scientists discovered the role of electricity in the human body is a colorful one, filled with extraordinary personalities, fierce debates, and brilliant experiments. Moreover, present-day research on electricity and ion channels has created one of the most exciting fields in science, shedding light on conditions ranging from diabetes and allergies to cystic fibrosis, migraines, and male infertility. With inimitable wit and a clear, fresh voice, award-winning researcher Frances Ashcroft weaves together compelling real-life stories with the latest scientific findings, giving us a spectacular account of the body electric. 50 illustrations
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The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body Summary
We are all familiar with the idea that machines are powered by electricity, but perhaps not so aware that this is also true for ourselves. The Spark of Life is a spectacular account of the body electric, showing how, from before conception to the last breath we draw, electrical signals in our cells are essential to everything we think and do. These signals are produced by some amazing proteins that sit at the forefront of current scientific research - the ion channels. They are found in every cell in Earth and they govern every aspect of our lives, from consciousness to sexual attraction, fighting infection, our ability to see and hear, and the beating of our hearts. Ion channels are truly the 'spark of life'. Award-winning physiologist Frances Ashcroft weaves real-life stories with the latest scientific findings to explain the fundamental role of ion channels in our bodies. What happens when you have a heart attack? Why does an electric eel not shock itself? Can someone really die of fright? Why does Viagra turn the world blue? How do cocaine, LSD and morphine work? Why do chilli peppers taste hot? How do vampire bats sense their prey? Was Mary Shelley right when she inferred that electricity is the 'Spark of Life? Frances Ashcroft explains all this and more with wit and clarity. She introduces a cast of extraordinary personalities whose work has charted the links between molecule and mind over the centuries. She recounts the scientific detective stories involved in the development of our ideas about animal electricity, and shows how these are intimately entwined with our understanding of electricity itself. And she describes how the latest advances have led to the identification, and in some cases the cure, of a new class of disease. Anyone who has ever wondered about what makes us human will find this book a revelation
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Additional information
SKU
GOR004582881
TITLE
The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body
AUTHOR
Frances Ashcroft
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“This is a wonderful book. Frances Ashcroft has a rare gift for making difficult subjects accessible and fascinating.”
- Bill Bryson, author of At Home: A Short History of Private Life
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This is a wonderful book. Frances Ashcroft has a rare gift for making difficult subjects accessible and fascinating.”
- Bill Bryson, author of At Home: A Short History of Private Life
About the Author
Frances Ashcroft is an award-winning scientist, a professor of physiology at the University of Oxford, a Fellow of both Trinity College Oxford and the Royal Society, and an internationally best-selling author. She lives in Oxford, UK.
Product details
Hardcover: 352 pages
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ion channels human body spark of life electricity in the humanfrances ashcroft good book well written history of electricityreading this book great book book and hope to read science cellsphysiology examples understanding electrical subjectbodies cellular
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Top Reviews
Ben knee ta
4.0 out of 5 starsChannelopathies unmaskedMay 11, 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
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.
4 people found this helpful
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June Niece
5.0 out of 5 starsWhat I've always wondered aboutOctober 27, 2012
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
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.
6 people found this helpful
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J. F. Sweeney
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent.September 29, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Bought the print version, twice. Gave one copy to our internist physician. Excellent descriptions of how our bodies work down to the tiniest sparks. Advancements in science of measurements enable many discoveries.
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Edward Stanulevich
4.0 out of 5 starsVery good.September 22, 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This book is required reading for my anatomy & physiology 313 class and I can see why! It is fun and educational. Very well written and enjoyable. The author explains concepts that can be difficult to understand in ways that are relatable for the non-scientist without sacrificing the details that keep a scientist reading. It is difficult to find science books like good. I am very glad that my professor has us read this for his class.
2 people found this helpful
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Michael D Johnson
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of the best books I have ever readOctober 19, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book takes you into subjects that you have often questioned but didn't know where to get the answers. Like how do electric eel's make electricity and just how dangerous are they. She also takes you through a number of poisons and how they effect the body. I could not wait to finish the book in order to start it again. Loved it
2 people found this helpful
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Cynthia Christensen
3.0 out of 5 starsThree StarsOctober 27, 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Good, but not as informative as I would have liked.
One person found this helpful
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MIKE HILGERS
5.0 out of 5 starsExcelent!October 21, 2012
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
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.
2 people found this helpful
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don
5.0 out of 5 starsExxcellent bookSeptember 10, 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
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.
One person found this helpful
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Showing 1-30
This book is life-altering and paradigm changing. If you've not been amazed by your own body just yet, first,shame on you, and second, buy this book and keep it as a national treasure!
The overall content of the book is about how electricity is generated in our amazing bodies. All of our thousands of cells contain potassium, and outside of the cell is highly concentrated with sodium. Within all of our cells, we have these amazing things called ion channels that are "innervated" by a multitude of things, and they open and close, letting sodium in and potassium out.
This very act of exchanging within the protein of the ion channels is the very thing that innervates us! We literally are the body electric! We're amazing!
These ion channels are literally responsible for everything. If you have a defective ion channel, you could have an ailment that you already know about, but little did you know that the ailment is due to ion channels! Everything - our senses, our brains, our emotions, personality, behavior all boils down to ion channels. It literally moves me to tears!
I highly recommend this book! When I get accepted into the PhD program I want, guess what my dissertation will be on? :D (less)
Jun 15, 2013Brian Clegg rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I think most of us are aware that the human body uses both chemical and electrical signalling to control its inner functions, but until I read this book I had certainly never realised that extent to which a rather strange electrical process (strange because it involves the flow not of electrons as in ‘normal’ electricity, but of ions) is handled by ion channels.
After a preface that is a little confusing as she uses terms that aren’t really explained until later, biologist Frances Ashcroft, who spends her days working with ion channels, gives us a brief introduction to electricity. This physics part is by far the weakest bit of the book. For example she doesn’t differentiate between a flow of electrons and the electromagnetic signal in a wire – and some of the history is a little out of date (she says, for instance, that Franklin did the ‘kite in a thunderstorm’ experiment, which is thought unlikely now). But this is only an introductory phase before we get into the meat of the book, which is quite fascinating.
Ashcroft explains how ion channels can open and close to allow a flow of ions through, and how electrical energy is involved in making these essential cell components function. This is absolutely fascinating from the first mention of sodium pumps (I was hoping to come across the medication type proton pump inhibitors, which like many thousands of people I take, but if they were mentioned I missed it). It is remarkable how this essential part of cell function wasn’t properly understood until around 50 years ago.
For the rest of the book we are taken on a tour of the body and the way that ion channels have a powerful influence on everything from poisoning to the functioning of memory. It is quite mind-boggling just how much these tiny channels do for us – always dependent on that electrical motive power.
For me – and it is fair to say that my biology tolerance is pretty low – the book did get a little repetitious in some ways, if only because of the central role of ion channels throughout. I suspect, though, for many, the connection with the functioning of the human body will keep that interest going – and Ashcroft has a light, approachable tone and makes sufficient ventures into the wider picture to keep the reader on-board. Overall a subject that clearly needed writing about, carefully and entertainingly revealed.
Review first published on www.popularscience.co.uk and reproduced with permission (less)
After a preface that is a little confusing as she uses terms that aren’t really explained until later, biologist Frances Ashcroft, who spends her days working with ion channels, gives us a brief introduction to electricity. This physics part is by far the weakest bit of the book. For example she doesn’t differentiate between a flow of electrons and the electromagnetic signal in a wire – and some of the history is a little out of date (she says, for instance, that Franklin did the ‘kite in a thunderstorm’ experiment, which is thought unlikely now). But this is only an introductory phase before we get into the meat of the book, which is quite fascinating.
Ashcroft explains how ion channels can open and close to allow a flow of ions through, and how electrical energy is involved in making these essential cell components function. This is absolutely fascinating from the first mention of sodium pumps (I was hoping to come across the medication type proton pump inhibitors, which like many thousands of people I take, but if they were mentioned I missed it). It is remarkable how this essential part of cell function wasn’t properly understood until around 50 years ago.
For the rest of the book we are taken on a tour of the body and the way that ion channels have a powerful influence on everything from poisoning to the functioning of memory. It is quite mind-boggling just how much these tiny channels do for us – always dependent on that electrical motive power.
For me – and it is fair to say that my biology tolerance is pretty low – the book did get a little repetitious in some ways, if only because of the central role of ion channels throughout. I suspect, though, for many, the connection with the functioning of the human body will keep that interest going – and Ashcroft has a light, approachable tone and makes sufficient ventures into the wider picture to keep the reader on-board. Overall a subject that clearly needed writing about, carefully and entertainingly revealed.
Review first published on www.popularscience.co.uk and reproduced with permission (less)
Since I’m in the middle of my female authors only month, I thought now would be a good time to get round to some of the non-fiction books I have by women, especially in the STEM field. I’d forgotten I had this one, which is a shame: it fits into my general theme of reading about neurology, and builds on a lot of the stuff about ion channels that I learnt in an introductory biology class on Coursera. I understood pretty much all the science without wanting or needing to look anything up, or letting anything wash over my head: in part, that’s because Ashcroft writes very accessibly, but I think it is also because this is stuff I know and love.
Some of it is a little too much towards the neurology end of things for me. I wanted more about electricity in the human body — more of the sparks — and less of the chemical messages (the soups, in that old scientific debate); this veered towards talking much more about the chemical parts of the process, especially toward the end. On the other hand, it’s the chemical processes that create the electrical potentials and make all of the electricity in the human body (and other animals too) possible, so it’s quite inextricable. It just felt like it wandered.
Calling the book The Spark of Life is a little misleading, perhaps. It talks about electricity in the body, yeah, but that’s too small a part of the process to be considered alone, and a lot of other factors have to be discussed at quite some length. Ashcroft uses good examples, and explains things clearly; there’s a section of notes in the back for those who want to get a little deeper into it.
Originally posted here. (less)
Some of it is a little too much towards the neurology end of things for me. I wanted more about electricity in the human body — more of the sparks — and less of the chemical messages (the soups, in that old scientific debate); this veered towards talking much more about the chemical parts of the process, especially toward the end. On the other hand, it’s the chemical processes that create the electrical potentials and make all of the electricity in the human body (and other animals too) possible, so it’s quite inextricable. It just felt like it wandered.
Calling the book The Spark of Life is a little misleading, perhaps. It talks about electricity in the body, yeah, but that’s too small a part of the process to be considered alone, and a lot of other factors have to be discussed at quite some length. Ashcroft uses good examples, and explains things clearly; there’s a section of notes in the back for those who want to get a little deeper into it.
Originally posted here. (less)
A well written and balanced book, that gets neither too complex or patronising, delivering the technical facts at a rate they can be absorbed by the layperson, interspersed with a level of anecdotes that keep it flowing at an agreeable rate, without it becoming a tome of personal triumph or vehicle for misplaced humour as is often the case with less diligent science authors.
Jul 14, 2018Robert rated it really liked it
The Spark of Life is a fascinating tour of the electrochemical system in the human body. Starting with the discovery of electricity and the subsequent evolution in the understanding of the role of electricity in the body, Ashcroft cogently explains in relatively deep technical detail the many aspects of the human electrical system. I had not known about the many different ways that tetrodotoxin (the toxin in fugu), curare, sarin, and other toxins do their damage, whether blocking shut ion channels, blocking open ion channels, preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, etc. There’s also a good explanation, and funny picture, of myotonic (fainting) goats.
I read about 2/3 of this book before having to return it to my local library because it was closing for renovations for an extended period of time. After it reopened and I was able to check it out again, I remembered how much I enjoyed the book and I started over from the first page. I virtually never read a book twice, so that it is a very positive compliment.
My biggest criticism of the book is that some chapters, especially in the second half, come across as collections of somewhat related bits of information about electricity in the human body. Now, this info was still fascinating, but it felt at times like reading from Wikipedia pages. But very well-written ones. (less)
I read about 2/3 of this book before having to return it to my local library because it was closing for renovations for an extended period of time. After it reopened and I was able to check it out again, I remembered how much I enjoyed the book and I started over from the first page. I virtually never read a book twice, so that it is a very positive compliment.
My biggest criticism of the book is that some chapters, especially in the second half, come across as collections of somewhat related bits of information about electricity in the human body. Now, this info was still fascinating, but it felt at times like reading from Wikipedia pages. But very well-written ones. (less)
Jul 22, 2012Joanne rated it liked it · review of another edition
A scientist talking about 'electricity in the human body' ties into energy therapy, design in nature and...... the dots are starting to join up -but I'm only on p58....!
Do you thirst for in depth explanations about how your body works? If so, read this book.
We know well how an electric cord works when plugged into an outlet and a switch is flipped. But what plugs you in? What sort of current does the human body use to breathe, eat, move, have sex, read a book, or even to sit and think? Ashcroft goes into great detail about the currents that make you an active system. Instead of an outlet in a wall, the currents inside humans, and other animals, are generated by tiny ions that flow through ion channels. This is the thermodynamics of life at its best. (Though she never actually mentions thermodynamics).
Ashcroft included all the best concepts learned in classes such as intro to neuroscience, intermediate biochen, and the lighter aspects of neurocellular biochem and neurophysics. For example, she does an amazing job of explaining how the inside of the cell has a high potassium concentration, while the outside of the cell has high sodium concentration. This creates a gradient that allows the current of bio-electricity to continually flow through the body. Having done such a great job simplifying that for the reader, Ashcroft was perfectly positioned to explain how that current is turned into axon potentials, which govern every process in which humans engage. She really brought the magic of cells and ion channels alive.
Energy flow in the human body, and in all cells, is one of my favorite topics to read about and think about. It's hard to find a book this detailed. Some authors choose this subject to write about, but their numbers are surprisingly few. Nick Lane's Life ascending and Power, Sex, and Suicide were extremely satisfying for me but not as relatable as Ashcroft's writing.
I have to say, I felt entirely perplexed that Ashcroft believes that life probably began in a tiny little pond. I have no idea how she can believe this. It's entirely possible Nick Lane, along with Martin and Russell, are wrong in their hypothesis that life originated at the hydrothermal vents. But if life did not originate there, it seems necessary -- not just likely-- that it arose somewhere that provided the energy needed to create and maintain enzymes that make cellular products. This aspect of the book will bother me continuously until I understand how she can account for the needed energy of the enzymes. She is far more knowledgeable than I am, as is Nick Lane. So I am sure there is something I missing about her hypothesis. But it's driving me crazy, and she did not write about where the energy would have come from in her scenario.
From page one, I fell in love with this book. It was quickly clear that this was the biochem (ion channel) book I have been looking for all my life! I remember learning about how our brain cells work to help us see, smell, taste, hear, see, and touch our world. My mind was completely blown away, because I simply could not believe nature could be that beautiful and that brilliant. But it is, and Ashcroft did a great job of conveying how much of that brilliance is due to ion channels. Ashcroft herself states that "This is a book about ion channels." Indeed it is. For it is the ion channel that takes every experience you will ever have with the world around you and detects, transmits, and processes every last bit of it so that you can even call it an experience.
It was clear to me that Ashcroft is in awe of the body, which has as many cells as the galaxy has stars, and the brains inside those bodies. She wrote about action potentials, resting potentials on each side of the membrane and why that matters (and how that makes you able to function and live in the world). Despite having read so much similar material for years, Ashcroft made my dopamine neurons go crazy during each page because she explains it all so tremendously well. I would have been happy with a book 4 times as long!
Her coverage of cell suicide was crazy good; so good in fact, I kept saying, "How can this book even exist?" (I *really* love cells). Cells kill themselves all the time for the good of the system (the animal body). For example, if cells did not undergo apoptosis during our fetal development, we would all have webbed fingers and toes. If cells didn't undergo apoptosis after we were born, our brains simply could not function. After she provided examples of apoptosis in the human animal, she wrote about the actual process of apoptosis in which the cell takes over the mitochondria and directs it to kill itself. (so good!)
She gave a beautiful description of photosynthesis, but it is likely not what you have heard before. Yes, she covers the basics, but she tells the story of photosynthesis from the perspective of the ion channel.
The last part of the book discussed what happens when ion channels work or do not work correctly. The result is a sensual experience of the world or an inability to sense the world. This section came alive with great examples, including somme little known trivia about Monet.
Thank you Frances Ashcroft for writing a book that makes me feel like I was lucky enough to hop on a plane, fly over to England, take a seat in your lecture hall at Oxford University, and learn the intricate details about the energetics of animal systems -- and not to have to do problem sets or take exams. The only thing that would make me happier would be for Ashcroft to put her lectures in a public domain so I could watch every last one of them.(less)
We know well how an electric cord works when plugged into an outlet and a switch is flipped. But what plugs you in? What sort of current does the human body use to breathe, eat, move, have sex, read a book, or even to sit and think? Ashcroft goes into great detail about the currents that make you an active system. Instead of an outlet in a wall, the currents inside humans, and other animals, are generated by tiny ions that flow through ion channels. This is the thermodynamics of life at its best. (Though she never actually mentions thermodynamics).
Ashcroft included all the best concepts learned in classes such as intro to neuroscience, intermediate biochen, and the lighter aspects of neurocellular biochem and neurophysics. For example, she does an amazing job of explaining how the inside of the cell has a high potassium concentration, while the outside of the cell has high sodium concentration. This creates a gradient that allows the current of bio-electricity to continually flow through the body. Having done such a great job simplifying that for the reader, Ashcroft was perfectly positioned to explain how that current is turned into axon potentials, which govern every process in which humans engage. She really brought the magic of cells and ion channels alive.
Energy flow in the human body, and in all cells, is one of my favorite topics to read about and think about. It's hard to find a book this detailed. Some authors choose this subject to write about, but their numbers are surprisingly few. Nick Lane's Life ascending and Power, Sex, and Suicide were extremely satisfying for me but not as relatable as Ashcroft's writing.
I have to say, I felt entirely perplexed that Ashcroft believes that life probably began in a tiny little pond. I have no idea how she can believe this. It's entirely possible Nick Lane, along with Martin and Russell, are wrong in their hypothesis that life originated at the hydrothermal vents. But if life did not originate there, it seems necessary -- not just likely-- that it arose somewhere that provided the energy needed to create and maintain enzymes that make cellular products. This aspect of the book will bother me continuously until I understand how she can account for the needed energy of the enzymes. She is far more knowledgeable than I am, as is Nick Lane. So I am sure there is something I missing about her hypothesis. But it's driving me crazy, and she did not write about where the energy would have come from in her scenario.
From page one, I fell in love with this book. It was quickly clear that this was the biochem (ion channel) book I have been looking for all my life! I remember learning about how our brain cells work to help us see, smell, taste, hear, see, and touch our world. My mind was completely blown away, because I simply could not believe nature could be that beautiful and that brilliant. But it is, and Ashcroft did a great job of conveying how much of that brilliance is due to ion channels. Ashcroft herself states that "This is a book about ion channels." Indeed it is. For it is the ion channel that takes every experience you will ever have with the world around you and detects, transmits, and processes every last bit of it so that you can even call it an experience.
It was clear to me that Ashcroft is in awe of the body, which has as many cells as the galaxy has stars, and the brains inside those bodies. She wrote about action potentials, resting potentials on each side of the membrane and why that matters (and how that makes you able to function and live in the world). Despite having read so much similar material for years, Ashcroft made my dopamine neurons go crazy during each page because she explains it all so tremendously well. I would have been happy with a book 4 times as long!
Her coverage of cell suicide was crazy good; so good in fact, I kept saying, "How can this book even exist?" (I *really* love cells). Cells kill themselves all the time for the good of the system (the animal body). For example, if cells did not undergo apoptosis during our fetal development, we would all have webbed fingers and toes. If cells didn't undergo apoptosis after we were born, our brains simply could not function. After she provided examples of apoptosis in the human animal, she wrote about the actual process of apoptosis in which the cell takes over the mitochondria and directs it to kill itself. (so good!)
She gave a beautiful description of photosynthesis, but it is likely not what you have heard before. Yes, she covers the basics, but she tells the story of photosynthesis from the perspective of the ion channel.
The last part of the book discussed what happens when ion channels work or do not work correctly. The result is a sensual experience of the world or an inability to sense the world. This section came alive with great examples, including somme little known trivia about Monet.
Thank you Frances Ashcroft for writing a book that makes me feel like I was lucky enough to hop on a plane, fly over to England, take a seat in your lecture hall at Oxford University, and learn the intricate details about the energetics of animal systems -- and not to have to do problem sets or take exams. The only thing that would make me happier would be for Ashcroft to put her lectures in a public domain so I could watch every last one of them.(less)
Feb 25, 2013Leah rated it really liked it
Rating: 4 of 5
Okay, so I think I'll have to read The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body at least three or four more times to fully understand everything Ashcroft covered. It was fascinating to learn the history of electricity and I couldn't get enough of Chapter 9, "The Doors of Perception." Even for non-scientists, like moi, there is much to learn from The Spark of Life despite its scientific terminology and explanations. What I loved most about the book was how much it made (is making) me think and wonder.
The freakiest part of the whole book was pages 309-311 when Ashcroft shared her desire for "a more intimate connection" between the brain and a computer. To paraphrase, she'd like the ability to physically connect her brain to a computer in order to instantly access memories and important information. She admits this is "currently only science fiction. But science fiction often has a way of becoming science fact." Anyone see this episode ofX-Files? I'll pass, thank you very much.
Notes to self:
"Ion channels are truly the 'spark of life' for they govern every aspect of our behavior (p.5)."
Channel dysfunction is responsible for many diseases.
Luigi Galvani first discovered 'animal electricity' = galvanism
Thomas-Francois Dalibard, not Ben Franklin, was the first to demonstrate that lightning is an electrical discharge.
Alessandro Volta invested the first electric battery = volt (unit of electrical potential)
"We too are electrical machines and the electrical currents lie at the heart of life itself (p.33)."
Opposite charges attract one another. Similar charges repel. (p.36)
Electrical signal travels almost the speed of light: 186 million miles per second; nerve impulses at 0.07 miles per second. (p. 37) Bioelectricity
Ion channels are the gatekeepers of the cell.
Queen of Poisons = aconite or aconitine which comes from monkshood (wolfsbane) a pretty plant with a tall spike of blue helmet-shaped flowers. (pp. 75-76)
Some species of rhododendron = grayanotoxin. Bees feed on those flowers, people eat those bees' honey = 'mad honey syndrome' (p.77)
"'The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy' - Paracelsus (p.81)."
Electrical eel, torpedo (sting ray) (p.122) (less)
Okay, so I think I'll have to read The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body at least three or four more times to fully understand everything Ashcroft covered. It was fascinating to learn the history of electricity and I couldn't get enough of Chapter 9, "The Doors of Perception." Even for non-scientists, like moi, there is much to learn from The Spark of Life despite its scientific terminology and explanations. What I loved most about the book was how much it made (is making) me think and wonder.
The freakiest part of the whole book was pages 309-311 when Ashcroft shared her desire for "a more intimate connection" between the brain and a computer. To paraphrase, she'd like the ability to physically connect her brain to a computer in order to instantly access memories and important information. She admits this is "currently only science fiction. But science fiction often has a way of becoming science fact." Anyone see this episode ofX-Files? I'll pass, thank you very much.
Notes to self:
"Ion channels are truly the 'spark of life' for they govern every aspect of our behavior (p.5)."
Channel dysfunction is responsible for many diseases.
Luigi Galvani first discovered 'animal electricity' = galvanism
Thomas-Francois Dalibard, not Ben Franklin, was the first to demonstrate that lightning is an electrical discharge.
Alessandro Volta invested the first electric battery = volt (unit of electrical potential)
"We too are electrical machines and the electrical currents lie at the heart of life itself (p.33)."
Opposite charges attract one another. Similar charges repel. (p.36)
Electrical signal travels almost the speed of light: 186 million miles per second; nerve impulses at 0.07 miles per second. (p. 37) Bioelectricity
Ion channels are the gatekeepers of the cell.
Queen of Poisons = aconite or aconitine which comes from monkshood (wolfsbane) a pretty plant with a tall spike of blue helmet-shaped flowers. (pp. 75-76)
Some species of rhododendron = grayanotoxin. Bees feed on those flowers, people eat those bees' honey = 'mad honey syndrome' (p.77)
"'The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy' - Paracelsus (p.81)."
Electrical eel, torpedo (sting ray) (p.122) (less)
This was not a fast read, but quite understandable to the educated layperson. I learned a great deal- from the AC or DC wars of Edison and Tesla, to the ways ion channels, which are proteins, control whether and when certain ions pass into or out of the cells-causing electrical currents throughout the neurons, causing muscles to contract and glands to secrete (or not).
The history of the discovery of electricity was great and the means by which it has been used for good or ill to treat many different maladies was a very interesting aspect of the book.
The fact that the ion channels can be deformed due to genetic mutations causing lifelong serious illness was fascinating, as well as the possibility of finding ways to treat these problems.
The functions of the sense organs and various receptors, including those for taste and pain were elucidated. I found a plausible explanation of why some people are more sensitive to pain than others, requiring more pain medication for example, a subject I often wondered about. (It's all about Nav1.7 sodium channels. A common genetic variant in these protein channels can determine a pain threshold.)
I think I would like to own this book-I got it from the library-because there is so much information that will be hard to remember. I would like to refer to it often.
Maybe I will get a copy for Christmas??? (less)
The history of the discovery of electricity was great and the means by which it has been used for good or ill to treat many different maladies was a very interesting aspect of the book.
The fact that the ion channels can be deformed due to genetic mutations causing lifelong serious illness was fascinating, as well as the possibility of finding ways to treat these problems.
The functions of the sense organs and various receptors, including those for taste and pain were elucidated. I found a plausible explanation of why some people are more sensitive to pain than others, requiring more pain medication for example, a subject I often wondered about. (It's all about Nav1.7 sodium channels. A common genetic variant in these protein channels can determine a pain threshold.)
I think I would like to own this book-I got it from the library-because there is so much information that will be hard to remember. I would like to refer to it often.
Maybe I will get a copy for Christmas??? (less)
Jun 06, 2013April rated it really liked it
Ashcroft covers an impressive breadth of the history and science of electricity. The beginning and the end chapters are the most interesting for me as they survey the initial discovery of electricity in bodies (twitchy frogs and electrifying monks and criminals; and the ac, dc wars of Tesla and Edison, etc). The middle (bulk of the book) covers current scientific knowledge with some forays into clinical studies, and a few occasional wanderings through history as well. By necessity this middle part is a bit lengthy and at times boring, and I wish it had the energy of the chapters at either end of the book, but I think it's just the dryness of the material (for a scientific layperson such as myself--it gets a bit 'textbook-y') and not for lack of skill with writing about the material by the author. (less)
Jun 06, 2019Teo 2050 rated it liked it
Shelves: _audio, psychotropics, _contents, sensation-perception, technology, biology,neuro, _nonfiction
Contents
Ashcroft F (2012) (14:08) Spark of Life, The - Electricity in the Human Body
Introduction: I Sing the Body Electric
01. The Age of Wonder
– The Dawn of Understanding
– Great Balls of Fire
– A Jarring Shock
– Nine Lords a-Leaping
– Snatching Lightning from the Sky
– Bolts from the Blue
– Thunderstruck
– The Frog’s Dancing Master
– Power to the People
– Clash of the Titans
– The ‘Mad’ Scientists
– The Age of Wonder
02. Molecular Pores
– The Holy Trinity
– Poles Apart
– The Building Blocks of Life
– The Precious Bodily Fluids
– Border Control
– An Electrochemical Battle for Potassium
– Suck it and See
– A Genetic Toolkit
– The Needle’s Eye
– An Open and Shut Case
03. Acting on Impulse
– Wiring the Body
– Acting on Impulse
– Listening to Nerves Talk
– Chance and Good Fortune
– Taming the Axon
– Calculated Progress
– The Scramble for Squid
– Fire!
– Terrible Stuff
– Red Tides and Suicide Potions
– The Queen of Poisons
– Sodium Rules
04. Mind the Gap
– A Nobel Dream
– Hitler’s Gift
– The War of Soups and Sparks
– Mind the Gap
– All Docked Up and Ready to Go
– Poison Darts
– Nerve Gas
– The Deadly Calabar Bean
– Riding the Lightning
– Leaping the Synaptic Gap
05. Muscling in on the Action
– Wiring our Muscles
– Impressive: A Trojan Horse
– Scared Stiff
– Goats Show the Way
– Excitation–Contraction Coupling
– Shiver My Timbers
06. Les Poissons Trembleurs
– What a Stunner!
– A Shocking Use of Muscle Power
– Throwing the Switch
– Zapped!
– Why Does the Torpedo Not Shock Itself?
– Shark Attack!
– Electrosensory Perception
– Hunting in the Dark
– Finding One’s Way
– Speaking in Sparks
07. The Heart of the Matter
– The Beat Goes On
– The Electrocardiogram
– Sick at Heart
– Restoring the Rhythm
– Packer Whackers
– To Hell and Back
– The Electric Heart
– Frightened to Death
– The Tale of Terfenidine
– My Heart Goes Pit-a-pat
– Be Still, my Heart
– A Racing Heart
– The Silent Killer
– The Virtual Heart
08. Life and Death
– Turbo-charged Sperm
– Raising the Barriers
– Drawing Life from Death
– Piling on the Pressure
– A Salty Tale
– The Cell’s Plumbing System
– Lethal Agents
– Battling Bugs
– Cell Suicide
– A Time to Live, a Time to Die
– Blighted Harvest
– Green Electricity
– Life in the Slow Lane
09. The Doors of Perception
– Eye Spy
– Photodetection
– Seeing in the Dark
– Seeing Red
– Through a Lens, Darkly
– Extraordinary Facts Relating to the Vision of Colours
– Hear, Hear!
– Making Waves
– Picking up Good Vibrations
– Dancing Hair Cells
– The Song of the Ear
– Living Under a Deaf Sentence
– Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow
– A Matter of Taste
– Making Sense of Scents
– The King of Fruits
– Touched
– Some Like it Hot
– Such a Pain
– What a Relief
– The Sensational Brain
10. All Wired Up
– The Little Grey Cells
– Seeing Single Cells
– Taking the Brain Apart
– All Fired Up and Ready to Go
– Brain Waves
– Watching the Brain at Work
– How the Brain Sees
– Pay Attention Now!
– The Gift of Coloured Hearing
– Migraine
– The Balance of Power
– On the Horns of a Dilemma
– Too Much of a Good Thing
– Scared Stiff
– ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’
– Brain Storms
– Wiring the Brain
11. Mind Matters
– What a Pleasure
– Hooked
– Love, Love Me Do
– The (Un)Happiness Hormone
– The Art of Memory
– Remembrance of Things Past
– Memories are Made of This
– Shedding Light on Behaviour
– To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
– The God of Dreams
– Knockout Drops
– Who Am I?
12. Shocking Treatment
– Electricity Made Plain and Useful
– The Prince of Electrical Joy
– The Tingle Factor
– A Shock to the System
– A Shocking End
– The War of the Currents
– Old Sparky
– Phasers on Stun
– Emotional Signals
– Mind Control
– Bionic Ears
– Gripping Stuff
– Forward to the Future
Notes
Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Credits
Index (less)
Ashcroft F (2012) (14:08) Spark of Life, The - Electricity in the Human Body
Introduction: I Sing the Body Electric
01. The Age of Wonder
– The Dawn of Understanding
– Great Balls of Fire
– A Jarring Shock
– Nine Lords a-Leaping
– Snatching Lightning from the Sky
– Bolts from the Blue
– Thunderstruck
– The Frog’s Dancing Master
– Power to the People
– Clash of the Titans
– The ‘Mad’ Scientists
– The Age of Wonder
02. Molecular Pores
– The Holy Trinity
– Poles Apart
– The Building Blocks of Life
– The Precious Bodily Fluids
– Border Control
– An Electrochemical Battle for Potassium
– Suck it and See
– A Genetic Toolkit
– The Needle’s Eye
– An Open and Shut Case
03. Acting on Impulse
– Wiring the Body
– Acting on Impulse
– Listening to Nerves Talk
– Chance and Good Fortune
– Taming the Axon
– Calculated Progress
– The Scramble for Squid
– Fire!
– Terrible Stuff
– Red Tides and Suicide Potions
– The Queen of Poisons
– Sodium Rules
04. Mind the Gap
– A Nobel Dream
– Hitler’s Gift
– The War of Soups and Sparks
– Mind the Gap
– All Docked Up and Ready to Go
– Poison Darts
– Nerve Gas
– The Deadly Calabar Bean
– Riding the Lightning
– Leaping the Synaptic Gap
05. Muscling in on the Action
– Wiring our Muscles
– Impressive: A Trojan Horse
– Scared Stiff
– Goats Show the Way
– Excitation–Contraction Coupling
– Shiver My Timbers
06. Les Poissons Trembleurs
– What a Stunner!
– A Shocking Use of Muscle Power
– Throwing the Switch
– Zapped!
– Why Does the Torpedo Not Shock Itself?
– Shark Attack!
– Electrosensory Perception
– Hunting in the Dark
– Finding One’s Way
– Speaking in Sparks
07. The Heart of the Matter
– The Beat Goes On
– The Electrocardiogram
– Sick at Heart
– Restoring the Rhythm
– Packer Whackers
– To Hell and Back
– The Electric Heart
– Frightened to Death
– The Tale of Terfenidine
– My Heart Goes Pit-a-pat
– Be Still, my Heart
– A Racing Heart
– The Silent Killer
– The Virtual Heart
08. Life and Death
– Turbo-charged Sperm
– Raising the Barriers
– Drawing Life from Death
– Piling on the Pressure
– A Salty Tale
– The Cell’s Plumbing System
– Lethal Agents
– Battling Bugs
– Cell Suicide
– A Time to Live, a Time to Die
– Blighted Harvest
– Green Electricity
– Life in the Slow Lane
09. The Doors of Perception
– Eye Spy
– Photodetection
– Seeing in the Dark
– Seeing Red
– Through a Lens, Darkly
– Extraordinary Facts Relating to the Vision of Colours
– Hear, Hear!
– Making Waves
– Picking up Good Vibrations
– Dancing Hair Cells
– The Song of the Ear
– Living Under a Deaf Sentence
– Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow
– A Matter of Taste
– Making Sense of Scents
– The King of Fruits
– Touched
– Some Like it Hot
– Such a Pain
– What a Relief
– The Sensational Brain
10. All Wired Up
– The Little Grey Cells
– Seeing Single Cells
– Taking the Brain Apart
– All Fired Up and Ready to Go
– Brain Waves
– Watching the Brain at Work
– How the Brain Sees
– Pay Attention Now!
– The Gift of Coloured Hearing
– Migraine
– The Balance of Power
– On the Horns of a Dilemma
– Too Much of a Good Thing
– Scared Stiff
– ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’
– Brain Storms
– Wiring the Brain
11. Mind Matters
– What a Pleasure
– Hooked
– Love, Love Me Do
– The (Un)Happiness Hormone
– The Art of Memory
– Remembrance of Things Past
– Memories are Made of This
– Shedding Light on Behaviour
– To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
– The God of Dreams
– Knockout Drops
– Who Am I?
12. Shocking Treatment
– Electricity Made Plain and Useful
– The Prince of Electrical Joy
– The Tingle Factor
– A Shock to the System
– A Shocking End
– The War of the Currents
– Old Sparky
– Phasers on Stun
– Emotional Signals
– Mind Control
– Bionic Ears
– Gripping Stuff
– Forward to the Future
Notes
Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Credits
Index (less)
Sep 11, 2017Sadaf rated it liked it
A book about the critical role of ion channels in regulating the cellular activity of various organisms, big and small. Dr. Ashcroft has worked in this field for a long time, and, in fact, discovered the potassium ATP channel's role in insulin secretion. The first few chapters of the book delve into the history of various discoveries relating to electrical stimulation of muscles and nerves, and how they helped lay the foundation of our understanding of the role of minute electric currents in regulating the opening and closing of ion channels. The rest of the book is about the workings of ion channels at the cellular level (such as the action potential), types of channels (sodium, potassium, calcium), their role in plants (such as the venus flytrap) and animals (such as the electric eel). Like so many other popular science books, it also has a lot of anecdotes about how many of the pioneers in this field had to struggle for years to make their discoveries. It is a light read, and a good introduction to this fascinating field for anybody who is slightly familiar with ion channels, but maybe slightly disappointing to those who already know the basics. (less)
Jun 15, 2019T Seamus rated it it was ok
For someone who knows basic cell biology & physiology, this book offers nothing new.
It's clickbait. "Electricity in the human body"? Give me a break. "Channels of life" might have been a more accurate title.
I was expecting a new theory, hypothesis, idea etc. Nothing. Just a summary of basic neuroscience and some trivia.
50% on explaining the basics and giving contexts, 25% on trivia that have little connection with ion channels, and the rest on ion channels & its mutants causing disorders.
I was expecting something more. (less)
It's clickbait. "Electricity in the human body"? Give me a break. "Channels of life" might have been a more accurate title.
I was expecting a new theory, hypothesis, idea etc. Nothing. Just a summary of basic neuroscience and some trivia.
50% on explaining the basics and giving contexts, 25% on trivia that have little connection with ion channels, and the rest on ion channels & its mutants causing disorders.
I was expecting something more. (less)
