International Women's Day Special: Unrecognised Women With Leas-Known Scientific Discoveries [VIDEO]
The world's celebration of the International Wom-n's Day won't be complete without recognising the efforts some less-renowned women scientists have made in the field of science and discovery. Here are some of the ordinary women scientists with extraordinary least known discoveries.
Rosalind Franklin: This chemist paid significant contribution to the discovery the X-ray crystallography technique, which was then used to discover the structure of the DNA double helix. Franklin died at the age of 37 because of ovarian cancer, and four years later when Maurice Wilkins, James Watson, and Francis Crick were awarded a Nobel prize for revealing the double helical DNA structure, they decided to keep Franklin's contribution unrecognised by not mentioning her name in the acceptance speech.
Lise Meitner: The Australian physicist discovered the phenomenon of nuclear fission in collaboration with Otto Kahn. However, only Kahn received the Nobel prize for the discovery, and totally discarded the role played by Meitner.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell: This astrophysicist discovered radio pulsar, a radio signal rotating around a neutron star. Her discovery was described as one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century, while her co-workers and supervisor at the Cambridge University received a Nobel prize for the discovery. Burnell was never recognised as a co-worker and contributor to the discovery.
Mary Anning: This palaeontologist discovered the first Icthyosaur in 811, followed by the discovery of a complete Plesiosaurus in 1823. Anning was a role model for her fellow male palaeontologists. She died of breast cancer at the age of 47.
Elizabeth Blackburn: This biological researcher of the Australian-American origin co-discovered enzyme telomerase along with Jack W. Szostak and Carol W. Greider. This enzyme replenishes the diminishing telomer in the dividing cells.
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