Barbara McClintock - geneticist

"If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off... no matter what they say." Barbara McClintock

I love this quote from Nobel prize-winning geneticist Barbara McClintock. It's like the science-y version of, "You do you!" It's the motto she lived her life by, and very much something a self-rescuing princess would follow.

I've been reading about her lately, and while historians might disagree on the sociological impact of her of her achievements and the role she played in history, there is no doubt she was a truly remarkable woman. What I find so fascinating about her, though, is her absolute dedication to doing things her way. She's most well-known for her detailed research on corn chromosomes, a truly wondrous achievement: she discovered its genetic makeup and then studied its evolution. But if you could have asked her what her greatest accomplishment was, she would insist that it was discovering genetic control -- the idea that genes can be switched on or off. Of course, this was something she discovered while conducting her exhaustive research on ... you guessed it... corn.

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Friday Five: Women Who Ran for President

There have been some exciting moments for women's history in this year's election, none the least of which was the announcement earlier this week that Hillary Clinton has likely clinched the nomination for the Democratic ticket for president.

Of course, she's not the first woman to run for president, or to even win the nomination of her party. I have seen some images and posts going around talking about a few of these women from history who've had the gall to stand up and declare their intention for the highest office in the land, but I wonder how much anyone actually knows about them, their work, or their lives?

According to Wikipedia, there have been over seventy women who have run for the office of president. I am sure all of these women have a fascinating story, and you can rest assured I will be researching them for future posts.

For now, though, I want to share a bit of info about some of the more historically prominent women whose lives and work have inspired me over the years. I've selected five to get us started.

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