- Dorothy Wrinch was the first woman to ever receive a doctorate in science from Oxford University, and she was the first person to design a protein structure. But her name is largely unknown. I Died for Beauty, a biography of Wrinch by Marjorie Senechal tells her story.
This was a fine interview, and it's good that more light is being shone on the history of science, this included. One of the biggest lies is to say that famous historical women are sparse because they didn't do anything. It is more accurate to say that historical women did many great things in all fields, but were often overlooked because of their genders. Even today when we have the factual information of women being involved, how many scientific idols are made of women like Wrinch, Ada Lovelace, or Rosalind Franklin? They aren't just great because they were women of science - they are great because they are great people of science. Aside from that, I appreciate the idea at the end - not everyone will be the Newton of their field. Everyone makes an important contribution. That's more obvious today, with a much larger focus on teams of scientists, engineers, and writers involved in the scientific process. Sometimes, there are brilliant men and women who make breakthroughs on their own, but progress isn't the story of a few great people - it's the hard work of many.