Four Scientists You Didn’t Know Were Women

Who was Einstein? And Newton? And Fleming? they were all great scientists which, no doubt, you can even lay a face. In fact, when we are told to think of a scientist, one of them may come to mind. Or at the most any gentleman in a bathrobe. And precisely for this reason, if we hear the names of scientific concepts baptized in honor of their discoverer, our brain will fill in the gaps with a human face. We hardly imagine that it could be women scientists. But life brings many surprises.

For example, we have all heard about Epstein-Barr virusfamous cause mononucleosis or kissing disease. It can be seen that it owes its name to its two discoverers: Epstein and Barr. Michael Epstein and Yvonne Barr. The first is a man and the second is a woman, and it is usually unexpected to discover this.

Almost the entire population knows about this, since the virus they discovered is widespread. However, there are similar cases in much more specific disciplines. For example, in biochemistry, seismology or chemistry we find other similar names. Regardless of which branch they are from, the same thing always happens: when we find out that they were women, we are surprised. And we have to stop to think why.

Yvonne-Barr, one of the women scientists who left their mark

In fact, few people know this Epstein his name was Michael. The problem is not in ignorance towards the person, but in how we fill the gap. And, above all, how surprised we are to find that the other half is a female scientist. In addition, very good.

She was hired by Epstein as an assistant, but discovered the virus with him that would eventually bear their name. Thus began a very promising career in virology, which, unfortunately, was left behind. stand next to After it wedding. Like other women of that time, she left studies to devote herself to education. He taught science and mathematics in Melbourne, Australia, a position he held until his retirement in 1993.

Epstein, on the other hand, continued his research career and received many awards such as the post of Vice President Royal Society of London, the Royal Medal of the United Kingdom, or an honorary fellowship of Wolfson College, Oxford. In addition, he was knighted in 1991.

Maud Menten, the female half of constancy

Within the framework of biochemistry, enzymes are studied – proteins, the role of which speed up reactions. To do this, they must bind to a substrate from which one or more products will then be obtained. Those who have studied this discipline are well aware of the Michaelis-Menten constant, which is equivalent to the substrate concentration at which the reaction rate reaches a value equal to half the maximum rate.

This constant is named after the two scientists who calculated it: Eleanor Michaelis and Maud Menten. While names can be confusing, Michaelis was male and Menten was female. And knowing this usually surprises those who studied this constant during the training phase. Or even those who often use it for work.

Unlike other female scientists, Menten devoted her whole life to science, although she combined it with her other hobbies: languages, music and art in general. He calculated the constant with Michaelis in Berlin University, but later she held various positions as a researcher and professor at the University of Chicago and Pittsburgh. His work was recognized by the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 1998; but even so, his name remains little known.

Inge Lehmann: Unknown, despite only giving her first name

Lehmann gap it marks the boundary between the liquid outer core and the solid inner core of the Earth. Actually his full name Wiechert–Lehmann–Jeffreys discontinuity, although he is usually known only by his patronymic. This is rather curious because the names that are excluded are those of two male scientists, Emil Wiechert and Harold Jeffries, while the woman’s name is usually retained: Inge Lehmann.

However, many geologists study and exploit this gap without knowing who Inge is. She was a Danish seismologist who devoted most of her research to the study of seismic networks. Denmark and Greenland. This led her to become the first Head of the Department of Seismology Royal Danish Surveying Instituteposition he held for 25 years.

He was also the first to postulate that the Earth’s inner core was split in two, so although other scientists have studied the boundary between the two, his name has usually survived. Thanks to all his research in 1971 he was awarded William Bowie Medal Considered the highest honor of the American Geophysical Union.

Women scientists stand behind their husbands: Marie-Anne Lavoisier

We have all heard of Lavoisier. In fact, one of the most important laws of chemistry, the law of conservation of matter, is named after him. And in his case, we know who it was, we can even draw his face: Antoine Lavoisier.

However, until recently it was not so well known that in fact he also participated in a large part of his discoveries. his wife Marie-Anne Lavoisier. Therefore, the surname is shared by two people. Thankfully, the name has gained a little more prominence over the years, and you can even read the history of marriage in some textbooks and high school, now that women scientists are becoming more and more important. In fact, for many people they were fathers of modern chemistryTherefore, it is only fair to give them both the recognition they deserve.

These are just a few examples that show that our minds are quite polluted when it comes to women scientists. When we see a name, regardless of discipline, we tend to automatically think it was a man. And this is another example of the lack of female role models in science. Yes, there were many women scientists, but it was so difficult for them to move up the career ladder that in some cases, even though their discoveries were preserved, their names were indeed forgotten.

So the next time you see a scientist’s last name, try the exercise. present it without prejudice. It can be a man, but also a woman. Because both male and female scientists are equally qualified to make history. We only have to mentalize ourselves so that we can remember them in the same way.