Andrew Huxley
He and a partner cracked the electrical code of the nervous system, explaining how signals race along our nerves with elegant mathematics.
1917–2012 (age 95)·English physiologist and biophysicist·Birthday: November 22·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Andrew Huxley, scion of the intellectually formidable Huxley dynasty, traded expected paths for the meticulous world of biophysics. At Cambridge, a wartime collaboration with Alan Hodgkin would define his life's work. Retreating to a laboratory in Plymouth, they turned to the giant axon of the Atlantic squid—a nerve fiber large enough to pierce with electrodes. Through a series of brilliantly designed experiments, they recorded the electrical changes across a nerve cell's membrane during an impulse. Huxley's particular genius lay in his mathematical modeling; he built a set of equations that described the precise choreography of sodium and potassium ions flowing through the membrane, a mechanism they termed the 'ionic hypothesis.' This work, awarded the Nobel Prize in 1963, provided the foundational blueprint for understanding neural communication. Later, he turned his quantitative mind to muscle contraction, developing the sliding-filament theory. Knighted in 1974, he served as President of the Royal Society, steering British science with the same quiet, incisive logic he applied to the squid's nerve.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Andrew was born in 1917, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1917
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1917Born
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Started school
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1930Became a teenager
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1933Could drive
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1935Could vote
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1938Turned 21
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1947Turned 30
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 40
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 50
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 60
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 70
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 80
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2012Died at 95
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Co-won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Alan Hodgkin and John Eccles for discoveries concerning nerve impulse transmission.
- Co-developed the Hodgkin-Huxley model, a mathematical formulation that explains the ionic mechanisms underlying the action potential.
- Made fundamental contributions to the understanding of muscle contraction, co-proposing the sliding-filament theory.
- Served as President of the Royal Society from 1980 to 1985.
Did You Know?
He was the half-brother of author Aldous Huxley and grandson of biologist T.H. Huxley.
He built much of the specialized equipment, including a precision micrometer screw, for his Nobel-prize winning experiments.
He was a keen sailor and owned a succession of small boats.
During World War II, he worked on improving anti-aircraft gunnery for the British Army.
“The only way to understand a system is to try to change it.”
