The first models in computational biology, both from 1952 (Video)
Written guide: Action Potential: Phases, Ions, and Diagram
Full video: Bioinformatics versus Computational Biology
Hodgkin and Huxley described the nerve impulse with four differential equations, and Turing proposed a reaction-diffusion model of pattern formation, both in 1952.
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- 0:00 The first models in computational biology, both from 1952
Video transcript
0:00 The first models in computational biology, both from 1952
The difference shows most clearly in where computational biology began, with mathematical models. An early model of this kind comes from 1952. Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley described the nerve impulse in the squid giant axon with four differential equations. Huxley solved those equations numerically on a hand operated calculator over about 3 weeks. The model predicted the shape and the speed of the action potential from measured ion currents. Hodgkin and Huxley shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with John Eccles. A second early model from 1952 came from Alan Turing, who published a reaction diffusion model of pattern formation. Turing's model showed how two interacting chemicals can produce spots and stripes and he proposed it as a mechanism for pattern formation in the embryo.