Women's History Month: 5 Groundbreaking Researchers Who Mapped The Ocean Floor, Tested Atomic Theories, Vanquished Malaria And More
The Conversation — Behind some of the most fascinating scientific discoveries and innovations are women whose names might not be familiar but whose stories are worth knowing. Of course, there are far too many to all fit on one list. But here are five profiles from The Conversation’s archive that highlight the brilliance, grit and unique perspectives of five women who worked in geosciences, math, ornithology, pharmacology and physics during the 20th century. Marie Tharp with an undersea map at her desk. Rolled sonar profiles of the ocean floor are on the shelf behind her. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the estate of Marie Tharp 1. Revealing and mapping the ocean floor As late as the 1950s, wrote Wesleyan University geoscientist Suzanne OConnell , “many scientists assumed the seabed was featureless.” An illustration of Marie Tharp’s mapping process. (a) Shows the position of two ship tracks (A, B) moving across the surface. (b)