Throughout history, women have made incredible contributions to the field of science, often in the face of significant barriers and discrimination. From Marie Curie’s groundbreaking work in radioactivity to Rosalind Franklin’s critical role in uncovering the structure of DNA, women have made some of the most significant scientific discoveries of all time.
Despite the challenges they faced, these women persisted in pursuing their passions and making their voices heard. They serve as an inspiration to all women who aspire to enter the field of science and pursue careers in STEM. Through their achievements, they have broken down barriers and helped to pave the way for future generations of women in science.
It is important to remember that science is not a field that is reserved only for men. Women have and can continue to make important contributions to the field. We must continue to support and encourage girls and women to pursue their interests in science and provide them with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.
As Ada Yonath, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, once said, “My advice to young girls aspiring to become scientists: never let yourself be discouraged by failures; keep working hard, study well and read as much as you can about the area of science you are interested in.” Let us celebrate the achievements of women in science and work towards a future where gender no longer limits anyone’s potential in this field.
Here is a list of top 10 women scientists in the world along with their nationality, date of birth, the details of their discovery and other important dates related to their discovery:
- Marie Curie (1867-1934) – Polish/French: Curie was a physicist and chemist who discovered the elements polonium and radium, and developed techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics (1903) and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes (the second in Chemistry, 1911).
- Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) – British: Franklin was a chemist and X-ray crystallographer who played a crucial role in the discovery of the structure of DNA. She took the famous “Photo 51” which helped to reveal the double helix structure of DNA. However, she died before the Nobel Prize was awarded to her colleagues.
- Ada Yonath (1939- ) – Israeli: Yonath is a crystallographer who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 for her work on the structure of ribosomes, the molecular machines in cells that translate genetic information into proteins.
- Chien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997) – Chinese/American: Wu was a physicist who contributed to the Manhattan Project during World War II and later conducted groundbreaking research on beta decay, which led to the discovery of the violation of parity in weak nuclear interactions.
- Tu Youyou (1930- ) – Chinese: Tu is a pharmaceutical chemist who discovered artemisinin, a drug that is now widely used to treat malaria. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015.
- Elizabeth Blackburn (1948- ) – Australian/American: Blackburn is a molecular biologist who discovered telomerase, an enzyme that maintains the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes called telomeres. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009.
- Gerty Cori (1896-1957) – Czech/American: Cori was a biochemist who discovered the role of glycogen in the regulation of blood sugar levels, as well as the process of glycogenolysis. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1947).
- Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910-1994) – British: Hodgkin was a chemist who used X-ray crystallography to determine the structures of important molecules, including penicillin and vitamin B12. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964.
- Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (1942- ) – German: Nüsslein-Volhard is a developmental geneticist who discovered the genes that control early embryonic development in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995.
- Barbara McClintock (1902-1992) – American: McClintock was a geneticist who discovered transposable elements, or “jumping genes,” which are pieces of DNA that can move around the genome. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1983.
