John Zachary Young (1907–97) was an English zoologist and neurophysiologist, among the most influential biologists of the 20th century. His research on the nervous system, memory, and cephalopod neuroanatomy shaped modern neuroscience.
Born in Bristol, England, Young studied zoology at Magdalen College-Oxford, earning first-class honors (1928.) His pioneering research on cephalopods led to the discovery of the squid giant axon, fundamental to neuroscience and nerve signal transmission. His work influenced Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley, who later won the Nobel Prize in nerve impulse research. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (1945) and received the Royal Medal (1967) and Linnean Medal (1973) for contributions to biology and neuroscience.
Young was Professor of Anatomy at University College London (1945–74,) developing interdisciplinary approaches to neuroscience. His notable books include The Life of Vertebrates (1950,) The Life of Mammals (1957,) A Model of the Brain (1978,) and Programs of the Brain (1978,) examining brain function, memory, and learning.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by John Zachary Young
The continuous invention of new ways of observing is man’s special secret of living.
—John Zachary Young
Topics: Life and Living
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