ThinkHer

Scientific recognition does not always follow discovery. In many cases, credit moves toward senior scientists or institutions rather than toward those who first made the observation or produced the decisive evidence. This pattern is especially visible in the histories of women in science. Lise Meitner, whose work was central to the discovery of nuclear fission, was excluded from the Nobel Prize awarded to her collaborator. Rosalind Franklin’s data played a crucial role in uncovering the structure of DNA, yet her contribution remained largely unacknowledged during her lifetime. These are not isolated oversights but part of a long-standing pattern of omission in the telling of scientific history. Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s story unfolds within this same structure. Born on 15 July 1943 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, she grew up in a home where curiosity about the natural world was quietly encouraged. Her father, an architect and enthusiastic reader, introduced her to astronomy through books, w...

Recently, I found myself in a conversation about the concept of private experimental labs—spaces where individuals, with some training, could pay to conduct experiments. On the surface, it sounds liberating, but I couldn’t shake the unease that this would make science even more of an elite pursuit than it already is. After all, science thrives on collaboration, shared knowledge, and rigorous training. Yet, history reminds us that not all contributions to science have come through formal institutions or collective laboratories. Some emerged from solitary searches, driven by individuals whose curiosity and persistence overcame the absence of public spaces or recognition. Jiang Hui, a 19th-century Chinese woman who made her own star charts, was one such figure. Jiang Hui, Made on Canva @Thinkher Born in 1839 in Sichuan province, Jiang Hui grew up in an intellectual household. Her father, Jiang Hanchun, was a writer and recluse with wide-ranging interests in alchemy, astronomy, an...

The history of science traditionally focuses on a narrow narrative — one centered on the figure of the “great man”: a lone genius, male and white, who, through insight and intellect, transforms the world. This version of history not only misrepresents the deeply collaborative nature of scientific advancement but also sustains a long legacy of erasure — obscuring the contributions of women, people of color, and entire intellectual traditions beyond the Western world. During the Islamic Golden Age (which interestingly overlaps the " dark ages" according to Eurocentric history of science), scholars across the Muslim world built a vibrant and rigorous scientific tradition. They analyzed, critiqued, corrected, and expanded the ideas they inherited from Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, and Greek civilizations. This period saw major advances in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and engineering. Innovations such as algebra, surgical instruments, observatories, and complex astronomical devi...

I recently read ' What Stars Are Made Of ' , Donovan Moore’s biography of Cecilia Payne, and right from the prologue, I found myself pulled into the quiet intensity of her life. Moore describes Payne working late into the winter nights of 1924 in a cramped office at the Harvard College Observatory. The image is stark: a small desk, a full ashtray, mounting exhaustion, and the creeping anxiety of financial strain.  Reading this, I was reminded of a time when I was working in a lab with an uncertain finances, when everyday concerns like rent and groceries lingered in my mind, quietly pulling focus from the work at hand. Someone once told me, almost casually, that " science is the cure for all such issues ". I remember how that comment unsettled me. How was I supposed to lose myself in scientific curiosity when practical worries kept pressing in?  Reading about Payne didn’t just stir that anger again, instead it added something else: a deep, conflicted respect. She perse...

In the early 1900s, the subatomic world was full of mystery, invisible forces, and unanswered questions. Scientists were drawn towards this invisible drama. However, only a few had the courage and determination to explore these unknown worlds and unravel their mysteries for people like us. Bibha Chowdhuri was one such scientist who pioneered the study of cosmic rays, the high-speed space bullets that crash into Earth's atmosphere. Bibha means 'light' in Bengali. In both name and nature, Bibha was a radiant force in Indian science. Born in Kolkata in 1913 to Banku Bihari Chowdhuri, a doctor, and Urmila Devi, Bibha was the third child in a family of six children. She was encouraged to pursue education at a time when few women entered science. In 1936, she earned her M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Calcutta—the only woman in her batch. Her academic excellence naturally led her to the field of research. Made on Canva @ThinkHer Although she reached the doorstep of resear...