SCIENCE
Ten women who revolutionized science
For centuries, if not millennia, the world of science has been an almost exclusively male environment, with women excluded from universities, academies and generally from all places of cultural discussion. Despite this, women have always been able to make enormous contributions to science, since ancient times.
Indeed, over the centuries there has certainly been no shortage of female scientists who, through their studies, have been able to give enormous impetus to hitherto little-studied fields, but also to establish themselves as the best in a totally male-dominated environment. Consequently, it is fair to give due credit to these figures.
In this short article we would like to introduce you to some of the most influential and revolutionary women in the world of scientific discovery of all kinds.
10 women who revolutionized science
For centuries, if not millennia, the world of science has been an almost exclusively male environment, with women excluded from universities, academies and in general from all places of cultural discussion. Despite this, women have always been able to make enormous contributions to science, since ancient times. Indeed, over the centuries there has certainly been no shortage of female scientists who, through their studies, have been able to give enormous impetus to hitherto little-studied fields, but also to establish themselves as the best in a totally male-dominated environment. Consequently, it is fair to give due credit to these figures. In this short article we would like to introduce you to some of the most influential and revolutionary women in the world of scientific discovery of all kinds.
Di Sconosciuto - Sconosciuta, Pubblico dominio, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2616
Caroline Lucretia Herschel (Hannover, March 16, 1750 - Hannover, January 9, 1848)
A pioneer in the field of astronomy, together with her brother she worked mainly on comets, becoming probably the first woman in history to discover one. She was also one of the first two women ever to be admitted, along with her "colleague" Mary Somerville, in the very prestigious Royal Astronomical Society.
Lise Meitner (Vienna, Nov. 7, 1878 - Cambridge, Oct. 27, 1968)
The works of this scientific giant were decisive for the theoretical explanation of nuclear physics, especially fission. In particular, Lise Meitner used the studies of Einstein to calculate the energy released during fission, thus laying the foundation for later nuclear studies. Despite her efforts, Otto Hahn (her grandson) perfected her research (which she had told him about), winning the Nobel Prize in 1945, without mentioning her colleague's work.
Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin (Cairo, May 12, 1910 - Shipston-on-Stour, July 29, 1994)
Her studies on X-ray diffraction earned her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964. She was the first scientist to perform analyses based on three-dimensional calculations to define the molecular structure. Among her discoveries we can mention the structure of some molecules such as cholesterol (1937), penicillin (1945), vitamin B12 (1954), and insulin (1969).
Augusta Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace, better known as Ada Lovelace (London, December 10, 1815 - London, November 27, 1852)
Although this claim has sometimes been disputed, the noblewoman can be considered the first computer programmer in history. In fact, among her studies was found an algorithm for generating the Bernoulli numbers, regarded as the first algorithm expressly intended to be processed by a machine.
Hedy Lamarr, pseudonym of Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler (Vienna, Nov. 9, 1914 - Altamonte Springs, Jan. 19, 2000)
A naturalized U.S.-born Austrian actress, her contributions to science have only been recently discovered. A former engineering student, she had moved to America to get away from Hitler's Germany. There she developed a remote guidance system for torpedoes, a modulation system for encoding information on radio frequencies to an apparatus that received them in the same order in which they were transmitted. This technology can be considered the ancestor of today's wireless.
Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori, known as Maria Montessori (Chiaravalle, August 31, 1870 - Noordwijk, May 6, 1952)
Maria Montessori is known worldwide for having created the educational method named after her, which involves the creation of open or communicating classrooms in which children of different ages can interact with each other. The purpose of such interactions is to offer children not only the support of an adult but also that of a peer, encouraging the exchange of knowledge and mutual help. In addition, she was one of the first women in Italy to graduate from medical school.
Di Cirone-Musi, Festival della Scienza, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curi
Margherita Hack (Florence, June 12, 1922 - Trieste, June 29, 2013)
A legendary Italian astrophysicist, she was always part of working ESA and NASA groups. Her work on stellar spectra was important; her debates on the opposition between science and religion are also famous
Rita Levi-Montalcini (Turin, April 22, 1909 - Rome, December 30, 2012)
One of Italy's great minds, in 1986 she was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Medicine for her research in which she discovered and illustrated the nerve fiber growth factor (in this case, the axonal structure). Winner of numerous other major awards, she was the first woman to be admitted to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. On August 1, 2001, she was appointed senator for life by the President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
Maria Salomea Skłodowska, better known as Marie Curie (Warsaw, November 7, 1867 - Passy, July 4, 1934)
Perhaps the greatest woman in world science, in 1903 she won the Nobel Prize in physics (the first woman ever to win it) along with her husband for her studies on radiation. Not content, she also received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for her discovery of radium and polonium. She is one of the only five people to have won the Nobel twice, and the only one to have won it in two different fields. She was also the first woman to teach at the Sorbonne University.
Di MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology - From the personal collection of Jenifer Glynn., CC BY-SA 4.
Rosalind Elsie Franklin (London, July 25, 1920 - London, April 16, 1958)
Her work was of fundamental importance to the understanding of the DNA and RNA molecules. As is often the case, her contribution to the understanding of such molecules was not recognized for a long time.
science
18/04/2024
It may sound like a trivial question, but in fact it is not trivial at all; on the contrary, it holds within it very important physical and philosophical questions. The Washington Post noted that this question is stirring up some of the people on Twitter these days.
The debate was generated by a tweet from journalist Jacqui Deevoy, who wondered how it was possible that the sun had 'changed colour' from what she remembered as a child. The answer, however, is one that leaves one somewhat appalled, as there is no real unequivocal answer.
After all, children do not make a mistake by drawing the sun as a big yellow ball, but it is not a completely right answer. After all, light is just the perception of the wavelength of radiation emitted by the sun, and therein lies the whole secret.
Art galleries private collections
16/04/2024
Napoleon Bonaparte, often also referred to as Napoleon, was a French politician and general, founder of the First French Empire and protagonist of the first phase of contemporary European history, known as the 'Napoleonic Age'.
His conquests throughout Europe and beyond make him one of the finest military strategists ever, but his importance is not limited only to victories in the field. Also important were some campaigns, such as the one in Egypt, which returned priceless treasures to the world.
His life, studded with continual ups and downs, intrigues, murders and love affairs, ended in 1821 on the island of St Helena, in exile, due to stomach cancer. Although his life has filled the history books for over a century, some curiosities may still have escaped you.
Art galleries private collections
Art galleries private collections
Art galleries private collections
Art galleries private collections