Scientists for the environment, 10 women arrived first

“TObold, persevering, regardless of the obstacles along their path, they blazed their own trail and became the first.” Their stories as scientists were collected by Mirella Orsi and Sergio Ferraris in First. Ten female scientists for the environment, published by Codice edizioni. A book that gives us back something that had been lost, obscured by a historical narrative which, for too long, has described the progress of science only through the goals achieved by scientists. This excellent reason is enough to start reading it.

Scientists for the environment, 10 stories of women who have arrived First

The 10 stories of female scientists told (by male and female narrators with a scientific background) were selected based on one criterion: the impact on environmentalism and ecology. That is, all ten are gods pioneer in a key sector of scientific research, of extreme relevance for the present and future of the planet and our children. Their stories, which seemed destined for oblivion since there is no school book that mentions them, except, perhaps, tangentially, are then not only beautiful to read and interesting to know. Are also fundamental to pass on, by way of example, to all women of today and tomorrow.

For the history of environmentalism, it should be specified, the female role is particularly evident. Even more extraordinary considering the barriers and discrimination women were subjected to.

Rachel Carson, the (childless) mother of environmentalism

Even the book considered the Bible on the subject, Silent springwas written by a woman: marine biologist Rachel Carson, that is, the “mother” of the modern environmental movement, to which the fourth chapter of Prime is dedicated. Masterpiece of investigative literature, also defined as “the Pearl Harbor of the chemical industry”, Silent spring lit the fuse that led to the historic premiere in 1970 Earth Day.

Carson was the victim of a defamatory campaign, accused – as expected, when a woman is “too” passionate – of being “a hysteric”. The then Minister for Agriculture pointed it out as “childless spinster” and probable communist. Luckily his book enjoyed the support of a very powerful man, President Kennedy.

Maria Sibylla Merian, the ecologist entomologist

Swiss naturalized Dutch scientist, Maria Sibylla Merian he lived and worked in the mid-seventeenth century, a century still steeped in superstitions and alchemical beliefs. She was the daughter of an engraver an entomologist that can be defined ante-litteram ecologist (given that ecology as a science is traditionally dated to 1799 with Von Humboldt’s departure for South America). Her goal, since she was a little girl, was to study insects and paint them “as they are in nature”. Pioneer of the live observation of the life cycles of species, she gave importance, through her magnificent works, to their role in ecosystems, representing the interconnections between species and the environment in which they live. She is still the only one to have documented the complete metamorphosis of some Surinamese species.

Jeanne Baret, botanist dressed as a man

Born in Burgundy, a peasant destiny ahead of her, Jeanne Baret was a pioneer in the study of botany in the Paris of Louis XV, at the height of the Enlightenment. For the love of plants and herbs she went so far as to disguise herself as a man (below, an illustration of her incognito). In disguise she attempted to leave with the naturalist navigator Philibert Commerson, whose assistant and lover she was, on the ship of Louis Antoine de Bougainville. She managed to travel, and live and sweat, officially to take care of her man and mentor, actually doing all the research work. Unmasked, she was attacked and raped. Among his discoveries, that of the plant that today adorns our summer terraces, especially in seaside resorts: the bougainvillea, as a tribute to the expedition commander.

Eunice Newton Foote, who discovered greenhouse gases

With an air pump, four thermometers and two glass cylinders, in the second half of the nineteenth century, Eunice Newton Foote studied the gases that make up the atmosphere comparing them with common air. His study dedicated to the heat of the sun published in the prestigious scientific journal The American journal of science and arts in 1856 she made history as the first publication by a woman in the field of physics. But it was forgotten. In 1859, three years later, John Tyndall published his study of what we now call greenhouse gases. If the studies of the Irish physicist explain for the first time the mechanism of how and why, it was Foote who was the first to have noticed the ability of carbon dioxide to absorb heat. She was the “first”.

Mária Telkes, the queen of the sun

Hungarian naturalized American chemist, Mária Telkes is the pioneer of solar heating and ventilation technologies: His discoveries are still used today. She was hired in 1937 in the most important research center in the United States, MIT in Boston, to work on solar energy (Solar Energy Conversion Project), in 1950 she presented the project of a house entirely heated by the sun. It’s the “magic” Sun House in Dover which saw the light thanks to the sponsorship of rich and visionary Amelia Peabody. Intrigued by the dream, she bought 800 acres of woods, complete with a mill and four ponds, to make it a reality. The icing on the cake was that the design of the house was entrusted to a third woman, the architect Eleanor Raymond. Mária Telkes took care of the heating system, which exploited the properties of the chemical compound called Glauber’s salt.

Sylvia Earle, protector of the oceans

Oceanographer, explorer, author and teacher, Sylvia Earle, now approaching 90 years old, has led more than one hundred expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater. She included leading the first team of women aquanauts during Project Tektite in 1970. She also has a record for solo diving to a thousand meters depth. Her research concerns marine ecosystems with particular reference to conservation, development and use of new technologies. In 2010 the scientist gave birth to Mission Blue, to raise awareness among the general public about the role of the oceans and create marine protected areas called Hope Spots. Because we desperately need “places of hope”. The goal was and is to protect at least 30% of the natural world by 2030. One of these areas is located in Italy, in our Aeolian islands.

Dian Fossey, the gorilla friend

Famous for his book Gorilla in the fog (from which a famous film with Sigourney Weaver was based), born in 1932, Dian Fossey was the first scholar to approach the species, which was considered very dangerous at the time, and to decipher its social structure and behavior. With her “her” gorillas the scientist even managed to establish a linguistic synergy which soon became behavioral as well. She is also known for her war on poachers, who captured females and cubs to sell them to zoos, he paid for his commitment with his life. He died in Rwanda, on December 26, 1985, perhaps murdered by poachers who ten years earlier had killed Digit, one of the gorillas she had most studied.

Jane Goodall, a life for chimpanzees

She also worked on records Jane Goodall, now 89 years old, is one of the best-known ethologists in the world. His legacy was collected byinstitute of the same namea non-profit active in twenty-one countries around the world that supports conservation research projects of chimpanzees and various programs to raise awareness among young people about the environment. As for herself, she is still incredibly active and represents a role model of a woman who inspires young researchers around the world.

Laura Conti, the first Italian ecologist

The name of Laura Conti is linked to the Seveso disaster. When, in 1976, a failure in the cooling system of the chemical industry owned by the multinational La Roche dispersed large quantities of dioxin into the air, causing an environmental disaster of proportions never seen before, she, Councilor of the Lombardy Region and Secretary of the Commission health and ecology, sided with the population.

He worked hard to ensure that the public knew the exact quantities of gas dispersed in the air. He wrote an essay Seen from Seveso, to describe all the circumstances in which the investigation took place. But he also wrote a novel A hare with a baby facepublished by Fandango, to tell the story of the faces of children disfigured by the gas.

Dana Meadows and the analysis of the limits of growth

It may happen that it is attributed only to her husband, Dennis Meadows. In reality the World3 computer model is all of her. From Donella “Dana” Hager married Meadows born March 13, 1941, in Elgin, Kane County, Illinois. The extraordinary nature of World3 lies in the fact that it allowed us to derive the evolution over time of a complex system from erodible and finite resources, such as the ecosystem of planet Earth. Using this model, Dana Meadows evaluated the effects of uncontrolled growth. Considering various factors, she hypothesized scenarios up to 2100. From her model she also created a book, The limits of development, banned in the Soviet Union and also opposed by the Nixon administration. The project was fundamental for understand the environmental consequences of the excessive development of human activities. But her story also helps us understand the gender dynamics that women scientists have had to face.

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