Young, John Zachary

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Young, John Zachary (1907–97) A British zoologist who was a leading authority on cephalopods, turning later to neuroscience. His studies of the octopus brain revealed the way it stores visual and tactile memories separately and accesses them. He also discovered the giant nerve fibres of squids. He was born in Bristol and educated at Marlborough College and Oxford University. In 1945 he was appointed Professor of Anatomy at University College London, a post he held until his retirement. As well as being an excellent teacher, J. Z. Young was the author of several successful textbooks, including The Life of Vertebrates (1950) and The Life of Mammals (1957).