The Spark of Life

''A wonderful book'' Bill Bryson

''Ashcroft achieves the sort of rich simplicity most science writers can only dream about ... this book carries the eponymous spark of life'' Sunday Telegraph

From before birth to the last breath we draw, from consciousness to sexual attraction, fighting infection to the beating of our hearts, electricity is essential to everything we think and do.

In The Spark of Life award-winning physiologist Frances Ashcroft reveals the secrets of ion channels, which produce the electrical signals in our cells. Can someone really die of fright? How do cocaine, LSD and morphine work? Why do chilli peppers taste hot? Ashcroft explains all this and more with wit and clarity. Anyone who has ever wondered about what makes us human will find this book a revelation.

''A rare gift for making difficult subjects accessible and fascinating'' Bill Bryson

''She communicates complex science with engaging passion and eloquence''