Over the years, many scientists’ stories have gone untold, and their accomplishments have been overlooked as others overshadowed them. However, their stories have been resurfacing in recent years, and credit is being given, though long overdue. Here are a few unsung heroes without whom the field of science wouldn’t be where it is today.
Rosalind Franklin: Unfortunately, x-ray crystallographer and chemist Franklin wasn’t credited for her work on discovering DNA because of a petty co-worker. She was working with Maurice Wilkins at King’s College on the structure of DNA when he allegedly shared her work with Crick and Watson without consulting her first. Her records were crucial in the discovery Crick and Watson made about the double-helix shape, and when they published their work in 1953, Franklin wasn’t even mentioned. Even when they received the Nobel Prize for their work, she wasn’t recognised because she had already passed away. Two decades later, her work finally started getting recognised, and today, there are various scientific awards to her name.
Lise Meitner: Although acknowledged by her partner, Meitner’s work was overlooked by several institutions. Meitner and Otto Hahn were leaders of the research group that worked on nuclear fission. However, as an Austrian Jew, when Hitler rose to power, she had to flee to Sweden. Yet, she continued to contribute to the research through letters. Hahn won the Nobel Prize for this later, but Meitner remained uncredited; Hahn was aware of this and continuously nominated her to gain recognition, but despite his efforts, she never won the prize.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell: While working on building radio telescopes as a PhD student, Burnell noticed an unusual pattern in radio waves, which she pointed out to her supervisor. Although he claimed it was simply because of an interference, he later expanded their team to conduct further research on this. He published a paper alongside five coauthors (Burnell’s name was second and she wasn’t given the title of lead author). Consequently, the Nobel Prize was only awarded to her supervisor and another coauthor – not Burnell. While the public criticised the committee’s decision, she never complained. She said, “It is the supervisor who has the final responsibility for the success or failure of the project.”
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