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Period: to
Since 1810
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Mary Anning
Discovered the First Complete Fossil of a Dinosaur. At age 12, in Lyme Regis, England (part of the Jurassic Coast) Anning discovered what was to become known as Ichthyosaurus. She is also known for collecting numerous ammonites. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/mary-anning-unsung-hero.html -
Maria Merian
Documented the process of metamorphosis. Merian had been a well-regarded naturalist and and scientific illustrator, however it was her detailed obervations and documentation of the butterfly's process of metamorphosis that brought her acclaim. Up until that point, it had been believed that butterflies were born out of the mud by spontaneous generation. Her contributions to the field of entomology are numerous. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Sibylla_Merian -
Alice Augusta Ball
Discovered the cure for leprosy. Ball isolated the oil of the chaulmoogra tree and created an injectable cure for leprosy, this was eventually called the "Ball Method." Her cure allowed those who were banished due to the symptoms of leprosy, to return to their families. https://www.biography.com/scientist/alice-ball -
Gerty Cori
Explained the process of cellular energy storage and release - the Cori Cycle (sugar metabolism).Cori and her husband discovered an intermediate of glycogen breakdown, glucose-1-phosphate, named the Cori ester, as well as, the enzyme that catalysed the conversion, which they named phosphorylase. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/carbohydratemetabolism.html -
Lise Meitner
Contributed to the discoveries of the element protactinium and nuclear fission. Meitner was the first woman to earn a doctorate from the University of Vienna and the second woman in the world to earn that doctorate in physics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lise_Meitner Element 109, the heaviest known element in the universe, was named Meitnerium, in her honor. https://www.atomicarchive.com/resources/biographies/meitner.html -
Barbara McClintock
Discovered jumping genes using the maize genome. McClintock discovered that genes could be mobile and reinsert themselves at different locations. These elements are now called transposons and are found in many types of organisms, including viruses and bacteria. https://www.pnas.org/content/109/50/20198 -
Helen Taussig
Discovered the cause of "blue baby syndrome" and created the surgical procedure to remedy the defect, and as a result is known as the founder of pediatric cardiology. Taussig was able to detect normal and abnormal heart rhythms using touch rather than sound. https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_316.html -
Rita Levi-Montalcini
Discovered nerve growth factor. Levi-Montalcini isolated nerve growth factor after noticing that certain cancerous tumors promoted the rapid growth of nerve cells. NGF is responsible for the growth, maintenance, proliferation, and survival of neurons. She also discovered the importance of mast cells in human disease processes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rita_Levi-Montalcini -
Rosalind Franklin
Confirmed the three-dimensional structure of DNA. It was Franklin's x-ray diffraction picture that enabled Watson and Crick to develop their famous DNA model, that of a helix. This contribution was initially not acknowledged. After Franklin's death, Crick acknowledged "her contribution had been critical." https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/rosalind-franklin-a-crucial-contribution-6538012/ -
Gertrude B. Elion
Invented the first treatment for lukemia and the first immuno-suppressive drug for organ transplants. Elion worked with others at Burroughs-Wellcome and studied the chemical composition of diseased cells to design drugs that would block viral infections. She also contributed to the discovery of drugs to fight herpes and AIDS. https://www.biography.com/scientist/gertrude-b-elion -
Katherine Johnson
Computer for NASA. Jonhson calculated the the necessary equations - by hand - that were to control the trajectory of John Glenn's orbital mission from liftoff to splashdown. Glenn requested that Johnson confirm the mechanical computer's calculations before he would agree to the spaceflight. The misson was a success. https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography -
Valentina Tereshkova
First woman in space. Tereshkova was the first woman launched into space, alone in Vostok 6, a spacecraft guided by an automatic control system. After almost three days in space, her craft reentered Earth's atmosphere, she ejected at 20,000 feet, and parachuted to the ground. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-woman-in-space -
Dorothy Hodgkin
Discovered the structures of insulin, penicillin, and vitamin B12. The elucidation of the structure of insulin took her and her colleagues 34 years of work. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dorothy-Hodgkin She is the only British woman to have received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/diversity-in-science/scientists-with-disabilities/dorothy-hodgkin/
