Rhodri Evans

Catherine Whitlock

'These minibiographies of women who persisted will move anyone with an avid curiosity about the world.' Publishers Weekly With a foreword by Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics, University of Cambridge and Master of Churchill College. Ten Women Who Changed Science tells the moving stories of the physicists, biologists, chemists, astronomers and doctors who helped to shape our world with their extraordinary breakthroughs and inventions, and outlines their remarkable achievements. These scientists overcame significant obstacles, often simply because they were women. Their science and their lives were driven by personal tragedies and shaped by seismic world events. What drove these remarkable women to cure previously incurable diseases, disprove existing theories or discover new sources of energy? Some were rewarded with the Nobel Prize for their pioneering achievements -Madame Curie, twice - others were not and, even if they had been, many are still not the household names they should be. Despite living during periods when the contribution of women was disregarded, if not ignored, these resilient women persevered with their research, whether creating life-saving drugs or expanding our knowledge of the cosmos. By daring to ask 'How?' and 'Why?' and persevering against all odds, each of these women, in a variety of ways, has helped to make the world a better place. The scientists are: Henrietta Leavitt (United States, Astronomy); Lise Meitner (Austria, Physics); Chien-Shiung Wu (United States, Physics); Marie Curie (France, Chemistry); Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (United Kingdom, Chemistry); Virginia Apgar (United States, Medicine); Gertrude Elion (United States, Medicine); Rita Levi-Montalicini (Italy, Biology); Elsie Widdowson (United Kingdom, Biology); Rachel Carson (United States, Biology).

Ten Women Who Changed Science, and the World

Nicola Temple

"Did you know that you have thousands, perhaps millions, of hormones in your bloodstream? Did you know that these complex chemical messengers regulate the function of our cells and organs? Or that they keep our bodies working properly, co-ordinating processes like growth, fertility and metabolism? Meet Your Hormones explores and explains the fascinating world of hidden hormones: what they are, what they do and why you can't live without these super-fast chemical messengers. Including in-depth profiles on each of the most important hormones at work in the human body, and helpful advice on how you can look after your own health through greater knowledge of your hormones, this is a wide-ranging introduction to the secret world inside your own body"--Publisher's description.

Meet Your Hormones

Meet Your Bacteria introduces you to all of your tiny tenants, and reveals the fascinating inner workings of your body, and the importance of these usually helpful (but sometimes harmful) microbes. Highly topical and accessible, this book: - Explores the different bacteria that live on and in various parts of your body (not just in the gut) - Explains what they do, and why some are beneficial and some harmful - Offers practical advice for promoting the good and inhibiting the bad bacteria - Examines the latest thinking on good and bad dirt, and the links between bacteria and disease Including in-depth profiles on each of the most important families of bacteria living in the human body, and helpful advice on how you can look after your own health through greater knowledge of your microbial friends, this is a wide-ranging introduction to the secret world inside your own body.

Meet Your Bacteria

Spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this fascinating history explores the lives and achievements of great women in science across the globe. Ten Women Who Changed Science and the World tells the stories of trailblazing women who made a historic impact on physics, biology, chemistry, astronomy, and medicine. Included in this volume are famous figures, such as two-time Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, as well as individuals whose names will be new to many, though their breakthroughs were no less remarkable. These women overcame significant obstacles, discrimination, and personal tragedies in their pursuit of scientific advancement. They persevered in their research, whether creating life-saving drugs or expanding our knowledge of the cosmos. By daring to ask ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’, each of these women made a positive impact on the world we live in today. In this book, you will learn about: Astronomy Henrietta Leavitt (United States, 1868–1921) discovered the period-luminosity relationship for Cepheid variable stars, which enabled us to measure the size of our galaxy and the universe. Physics Lise Meitner (Austria, 1878–1968) fled Nazi Germany in 1938, taking with her the experimental results which showed that she and Otto Hahn had split the nucleus and discovered nuclear fission. Chien-Shiung Wu (United States, 1912–1997) demonstrated that the widely accepted ‘law of parity’, which stated that left-spinning and right-spinning subatomic particles would behave identically, was wrong. Chemistry Marie Curie (France, 1867–1934) became the only person in history to have won Nobel prizes in two different fields of science. Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (United Kingdom, 1910–1994) won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964 and pioneered the X-ray study of large molecules of biochemical importance. Medicine Virginia Apgar (United States, 1909–1974) invented the Apgar score, used to quickly assess the health of newborn babies. Gertrude Elion (United States, 1918–1999) won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1988 for her advances in drug development. Biology Rita Levi-Montalcini (Italy, 1909–2012) won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1986 for her co-discovery in 1954 of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). Elsie Widdowson (United Kingdom, 1906–2000) pioneered the science of nutrition and helped devise the World War II food-rationing program. Rachel Carson (United States, 1907–1964) forged the environmental movement, most famously with her influential book Silent Spring.

10 Women Who Changed Science and the World

Foreword by Professor John Wass, Professor of Endocrinology at Oxford University Did you know that you have thousands, perhaps millions, of hormones in your bloodstream? Did you know that these complex chemical messengers regulate the function of our cells and organs? Or that they keep our bodies working properly, co-ordinating processes like growth, fertility and metabolism? Meet Your Hormones explores and explains the fascinating world of hidden hormones: what they are, what they do and why you can't live without these super-fast chemical messengers. Including in-depth profiles on each of the most important hormones at work in the human body, and helpful advice on how you can look after your own health through greater knowledge of your hormones, this is a wide-ranging introduction to the secret world inside your own body. This book: - Explores what hormones are, where they are made and how they work - Explains the key functions of the body in which they are involved - Offers practical advice on how we can help our hormones help us through diet and lifestyle - Examines the latest thinking and cutting-edge research - Forms a companion volume to Meet Your Bacteria

A beautifully illustrated, informative, and engaging guide to 100 plants used for medicinal purposes. Remedies derived from plants are the world's oldest medicines. Used extensively in China, India, and many African countries, herbal medicine has become increasingly popular in the West along with other holistic and alternative therapies. Botanicum Medicinale offers a modern guide to 100 medicinal plants, featuring beautiful, full-color botanical illustrations and informative, engaging text. Each entry describes the plant's classification and habitat, traditional and current medicinal uses, and an interesting fact or two. Readers will learn, for example, that absinthe, the highly alcoholic, vividly green potable, was traditionally flavored with bitter wormwood (Artemesia absinthium); that cannabis may have been used by Queen Victoria for menstrual pain; and that willow bark contains a chemical similar to aspirin. Detailed and striking artwork depicts each plant. The entries are arranged alphabetically--from Adonis vernalis (a perennial in the buttercup family) to Vinca minor (also known as the common periwinkle). The 100 plants featured in the book all have a long history of medicinal use or are the subject of new medical research. Many treat a range of conditions, from insomnia to indigestion. Some plants are lovely enough to be in a bridal bouquet; others are considered weeds. Cross-reference features at the end of the book connect specific medical conditions and the plants used to treat them.

Catherine Whitlock

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