Nobel Prize-winning women in history

It has been difficult for women to make a place for themselves in science and history, for this reason, we honor those who, for a long time, have sought to change the course of society, defying the time they had to live, and managing to play a fundamental role in the development of events.

Today, we present some women who have won the Nobel Prize for their contributions to humanity.

Marie Curie (1867-1934)

Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie, was a scientist of Polish origin who completely revolutionized the world of science with her work and discoveries. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity — she discovered two new elements: Polonium and Radium — she was the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes in different specialties (physics and chemistry).

She was the first woman to hold the position of professor at the University of Paris.

Marie Curie had to fight to become a scientist since in Poland women could not access university studies. She had to combine the care of her two daughters with her scientific career.

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)

She was an English chemist and crystallographer, responsible for important contributions to the structure of DNA, RNA, viruses, carbon, and graphite. She was a scientist unjustly forgotten by the world of science, strongly masculinized at that time.

In fact, in 1962 three scientists won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for their discovery of the structure of DNA, when, ten years earlier, Rosalind Franklin had managed to photograph the B side of hydrated DNA, the famous photo 51, a key piece to get to find it. Thanks to her, Crick and Watson were able to observe that the shape of DNA was not what they thought and establish the necessary connections to determine its structure.

Donna Strickland (1959)

During his doctoral studies at the University of Rochester, in 1985 he published an article describing a technique called Chirped Pulse Amplification. This technique is currently used throughout the world for eye surgery operations.

Thanks for that publication, she earned 30 years later, the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physics. She became the first woman in the 21st century to receive the award in this category and the third in the entire history of Nobel Prizes, behind Marie Curie and Maria Goeppert-Mayer.

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)

Augusta Ada Byron, better known as Ada Lovelace by the title of her Countess, was a British mathematician and writer, famous, above all, for her work on Charles Babbage's general-purpose calculator, called the Analytical Engine. Her notes about her contain what is now recognized as the first algorithm encoded for a machine to process. She is considered the first computer programmer.

The second Tuesday of the month of October celebrates the day that bears her name, with the aim of raising the profile of women in STEM areas.

Margarita Salas (1938-2019)

The biochemist Margarita Salas was a pioneer in the history of science and research in Spain. She was one of the best Spanish scientists of the 20th century and among the many achievements of her career, the discovery of the DNA polymerase of the phi29 bacteriophage virus, crucial in biotechnology, stands out.

It allows amplifying DNA more quickly, easily, and reliably. It is applied in forensic medicine, oncology, and archaeology. Currently, this patent continues to be the most profitable of the CSIC, and thanks to it, millions of euros have been invested in research.

Throughout her career, she was awarded several times and received both national and international awards. Among them are the Mendel Medal, the Ramón y Cajal National Award, the L'Oreal Unesco Award and the Echegaray Medal. Furthermore, she was the first Spanish woman elected as a member of the US National Academy of Sciences in the year 2007.

These are just some of the women who have achieved great triumphs in science and technology, and who undoubtedly inspire us to continue working for science.