Hugh Huxley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hugh Huxley
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| Born |
Hugh Esmor Huxley
25 February 1924 Birkenhead, Cheshire, England
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| Died | 25 July 2013 (aged 89) |
| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge Cambridge University (PhD) |
| Known for | Muscle contraction Muscle proteins |
| Spouse(s) | Frances Huxley |
| Awards | William Bate Hardy Prize (1966) Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (1971) Royal Medal (1977) E.B. Wilson Medal (1983) Albert Einstein World Award of Science (1987) Franklin Medal (1990) Copley Medal (1997) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Molecular Biologist |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology University College London MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Brandeis University |
| Doctoral advisor | John Kendrew |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Air Force(RAFVR) |
| Years of service | 1943–1947 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE, Military Division) |
Hugh Esmor Huxley (born February 25, 1924 – died July 25, 2013) was a British scientist. He was a molecular biologist. This means he studied the tiny parts that make up living things. He made very important discoveries about how our muscles work.
Huxley first studied physics at Christ's College, Cambridge. But his studies were stopped for five years by World War II. During the war, he served in the Royal Air Force. He helped develop radar, which is a system that uses radio waves to detect objects. For his work, he received an award called the MBE.
After the war, he became the first PhD student at a new science lab in Cambridge. He used special tools like X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy to look at muscle fibers. In 1954, with another scientist named Jean Hanson, he discovered the "sliding filament theory." This idea explains how muscles move. Later, in 1969, he came up with the "swinging cross-bridge hypothesis." This theory helps us understand even better how muscles contract at a tiny, molecular level. It also explains how other parts of cells move.
Early Life and Education
Hugh Huxley started studying physics in 1941 at Christ's College, Cambridge. In his second year, World War II began. He joined the Royal Air Force as a radar officer. From 1943 to 1947, he worked on making radar equipment better. This work later earned him the MBE award. His skills with machines and electronics were very useful throughout his science career.
After the war, he finished his degree in physics in 1948. But the war, especially the atomic bombings, made him lose interest in physics. He then decided to study something new. He became the very first PhD student at a new place called the Laboratory of Molecular Biology. This lab was part of the Medical Research Council (MRC) at Cambridge. His supervisors were Max Perutz and John Kendrew.
For his PhD, he studied muscle structures using X-rays. He learned how to use X-ray scattering on live muscle fibers. He earned his PhD in molecular biology in 1952.
Discoveries About Muscles
After getting his PhD, Huxley kept studying how muscles are built and how they work. At that time, his lab in Cambridge did not have electron microscopes. These microscopes use electrons to see very tiny things, much smaller than what light microscopes can see. So, in 1952, he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.
At MIT, he worked with another scientist, Jean Hanson. Together, they made a huge discovery. They found out about the "sliding filament theory" of muscle contraction. This theory explains that muscles contract when tiny filaments (like threads) inside them slide past each other. Their discovery was published in the famous science journal Nature in 1954. This paper became a very important moment in understanding muscle movement.
Huxley returned to Cambridge in 1954. He continued using X-ray diffraction to study how molecules in muscle fibers interact. In 1955, he moved to University College London. There, he got a new electron microscope. He also invented a better way to cut very thin slices of muscle tissue. These slices were so thin, only about 100-150 Å thick. This new method helped him understand how muscle proteins, called myosin and actin, connect. These connections are called "cross-bridges."
In 1962, he was invited back to the MRC lab in Cambridge. He became a leader in the Structural Studies Division of the lab in 1975. In 1969, after more than 15 years of research, he developed the "swinging cross-bridge hypothesis." This idea explains that the cross-bridges "swing" and pull the filaments, causing muscles to contract. This concept is now the main way we understand how muscles work at a molecular level. It also helps explain how other parts of cells move.
From 1987 to 1997, he was a professor at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. He stayed there as a professor emeritus until he passed away.
Awards and Recognition
Hugh Huxley received many awards for his important scientific work:
- He was made an MBE in 1948 for his work during the war.
- In 1960, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was the youngest member at that time.
- He won the Royal Medal in 1977 and the Copley Medal in 1997, both from the Royal Society.
- He received the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize in 1971.
- The U.S. National Academy of Sciences made him a Foreign Associate in 1978.
- Other awards include the William Bate Hardy Prize (1966), the E. B. Wilson Medal (1983), and the Franklin Medal (1990).
- In 1987, he was given the Albert Einstein World Award of Science. This was for his major contributions to molecular biology, especially his work on muscles.
Huxley also supported the British Humanist Association. He believed that science should be taught well in schools. He also thought that Charles Darwin's birthday should be a public holiday.
Death
Hugh Huxley passed away from a heart attack on July 25, 2013. He was at his home in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He was survived by his wife, Frances, his daughter, Olwen, and his stepchildren, Bill, Glenway, and Amy Fripp.
See also
In Spanish: Hugh Huxley para niños
