Ashcroft, professor of physiology at Oxford and fellow of the Royal Society, has long believed that the general public is deeply interested in science if it is simply but accurately described, so she applied. She did not win the prize, but this fact should not detract from the appeal of her delightful book to scientists and the public alike. The richness and variety of Ashcroft's subjects are extraordinary. Here are only a few of the many remarkable tales in this book. Full-term babies are born with a layer of brown fat, which metabolizes rapidly to generate heat during the first few weeks of life.
Caribou have fat in their feet that remains soft in subzero temperatures.
Fully acclimatized humans can stand on the summit of Mount Everest for hours breathing only ambient air, but humans can live only a short time if they are taken directly from sea level to the summit. Without oxygen, the human brain will die within six minutes, but hibernating mammals and many cold-blooded animals survive for months or years with little or no oxygen, and many bacteria are killed by even a trace of it. Regrettably, most of her heroes and citations are British, and she overlooks many excellent contributions from other countries. The Korean War, for example, resulted in far more injuries from cold, and taught us more, than the battle for the Falklands. The book is a delicious meal, each chapter a tasty dish well suited to be sampled alone and all seasoned with wit and incredible anecdotes.