Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and unfortunately it has been for not long, since 2015. The General Assembly of the United Nations should not have thought it good that the importance of women had not been recognized in the scientific community, and that is why it proclaimed this day. But the truth is that for many days that there are sciences they seem a field only for men, however this is not so well and there are many characters important that they are women.
We are going to give you some information and names of historical women scientists, without which great finds would not have been made.
Important Women of Pure Sciences
If one spoke of women scientists, they always alluded to the social sciences, such as politics, sociology, psychology, and yet there are also important women in pure sciences. Surely the case of Marie Curie, graduated in physics and mathematics, who was the first person in history to win two Nobel prizes of different modalities, one with her husband and one with her daughter.
In Chemistry they have stood out, among other women Alice ball who developed the most effective treatment to combat leprosy. Lise meitner She was a Swedish physicist of Austrian origin and the true author of the discovery of nuclear fission, although it was her male partner who took all the credit. Rosalind Franklin made a photograph that demonstrated the double helix of DNA, and of course! This recognition was given to three other scientists, who had followed his work for years, taking him behind his back.
If all these women had it difficult, we will tell you the story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson without which, without their mathematical calculations, man would not have stepped on the moon. These three women were also black, so they were even more discriminated against. And we say the man in masculine gender, because the first woman astronaut in history was called Valentina Tereshkova Did you know?
Women scientists necessary for life
elizabeth blackburn was an Australian biochemist who discovered telomerase, an enzyme that is capable of lengthening telomeres (the ends of chromosomes) and giving cells extra life. Imagine the importance of their discoveries. Fortunately, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009.
Another woman with a Nobel Prize in Medicine, this time in 1986 was Rita Levi Montalcini neurologist and senator from Italy. His greatest contribution to science and life have been proteins that contribute to the support of neurons and allow the formation of healthy neuronal circuits.
You have almost certainly heard or seen the movie that tells the story of Janes goodall who as a child had many problems to train, due to the economic situation of her family. This never discouraged her and when she was able to travel to Tanzania after her PhD, she observed the primate communities. Her scientific work is a benchmark for current generations of biologists and primatologists.
Inventions of women scientists
And now we will talk to you about inventor women to which almost no one recognizes the merit, and yet they make life much easier for us. You will see.
Helen Free She revolutionized (okay, together with her husband) the field of chemistry, by inventing strips that diagnosed illnesses and pregnancies. We do talk about the strips to know if there is a urine infection, or if the patient has diabetes, in addition to the well-known Predictor.
Gertrude elion he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1988, along with his teammates. Thanks to her, kidney transplants can be done and she also invented the anti-leukemia drug known as 6-mercaptopurine.
Edith clarke she was a pioneer in electrical and computer engineering. He invented a calculator that solved linear equations with hyperbolic functions ten times faster than previous methods.
We have only told you about a few, but we invite you to investigate and find out what other women scientists have been silenced. Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science.