The Woman Who Made a Device to Help Disabled Veterans Feed Themselves—and Gave It Away for Free
World War II nurse Bessie Blount went on to become an inventor and forensic handwriting expert
Three Evolutionary Scientists Share This Year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Frances Arnold, George Smith and Gregory Winter employed principles seen in evolution to develop proteins that tackle global chemical problems
The Nobels Notoriously Overlook Women Physicists. Donna Strickland’s Win Puts That Disparity into the Spotlight
Nobel committee recognizes three physicists in total, all of whom contributed to advancing laser technology
Should the Nobel Prizes Take a Year Off?
An award designed to go to those who benefit all humanity has a history of prejudice and controversy
Decades After Being Passed Over for a Nobel, Jocelyn Bell Burnell Gets Her Due
Honored with a Special Breakthrough Prize, the astrophysicist says she’ll use the winnings to fund scholarships to support today’s outsiders in the field
Fifty Years Ago, “Star Trek” Aired TV’s First Interracial Kiss
For actress Nichelle Nichols, the first black woman to have a continuing co-starring role on TV, it was the beginning of a lifelong career in activism
The Chinese-Born Doctor Who Brought Tofu to America
Yamei Kin was a scientific prodigy who promoted the Chinese art of living to U.S. audiences
Meet the Little-Known Math Genius Who Helped America Reach the Stars
It’s time for Mary Golda Ross to be remembered as an aerospace pioneer
Sold: A Rare Copy of Ada Lovelace’s Groundbreaking Computer Algorithm
The manuscript includes Lovelace’s translation of an Italian paper, her copious notes and a formula that is often recognized as the first computer program
The Botanical Artist Who Translates Plant Science Into Beautiful Art
The Smithsonian’s first and only botanical illustrator brings her subjects to life in all their scientific glory
Florence Sabin Pioneered Her Way in Medical Science, Then Made Sure Other Women Could Do the Same
A scientist and so much more, she helped lay the groundwork for curing tuberculosis but still found time to promote women doctors
An Astronaut Reflects on Sally Ride’s Legacy for Women in STEM
Ride encouraged girls to embrace science and engineering, helping democratize space for all. But more work is needed
The Many Ways Women Get Left Out of Paleontology
The hurdles that prevent female fossil hunters from rising at the same rates as their male peers are myriad—but they are all interconnected
![No photos of Cole survive. Shown here is an anatomy lecture taught by pioneering female physician Elizabeth Blackwell at the Woman's Medical College of New York Infirmary, which she founded. Cole was the resident physician at the infirmary and later a sanitary visitor at Blackwell's Tenement House Service. Blackwell described Cole as “an intelligent young coloured physician [who] carried on this work with tact and care.”](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/ZbGhwDSb5-cLLaK51K_vcTSQB-o=/450x300/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/2a/57/2a57c574-d756-4989-8aff-bc6596e50b9e/lesliesanatomyroom.jpg)
The Woman Who Challenged the Idea that Black Communities Were Destined for Disease
A physician and activist, Rebecca J. Cole became a leading voice in medical social services
The 18th-Century Lady Mathematician Who Loved Calculus and God
After writing a groundbreaking math textbook, Maria Agnesi quit math for good
Famed for “Immortal” Cells, Henrietta Lacks is Immortalized in Portraiture
Lacks’s cells gave rise to medical miracles, but ethical questions of propriety and ownership continue to swirl
Watch: The First Trailer for ‘Mary Shelley’ Explores the Many Inspirations for ‘Frankenstein’
The biopic will follow Mary Wollstonecraft’s scandalous teenage romance with the older Percy Bysshe Shelley and the events that shaped her most famous book
The Real Science Behind Your Favorite Nerd Culture at Awesome Con
Astrophysicists, vehicle technicians and biologists joined the party to bring cutting-edge research to fictional worlds
The Rockstar Geologist Who Mapped the Minerals of the Cosmos
A professor told Ursula Marvin she should learn to cook. Instead she chased down meteorites in Antarctica
How a Team of Submersible-Bound Scientists Redefined Reef Ecosystems
In tropical Curaçao, Smithsonian researchers are constantly confronting the unknown
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