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Lost Women of Science


For every Marie Curie or Rosalind Franklin whose story has been told, hundreds of female scientists remain unknown to the public at large. In this series, we illuminate the lives and work of a diverse array of groundbreaking scientists who, because of time, place and gender, have gone largely unrecognized. Each season we focus on a different scientist, putting her narrative into context, explaining not just the science but also the social and historical conditions in which she lived and worked. We also bring these stories to the present, painting a full picture of how her work endures.


Although initial clinical trials of tamoxifen as a treatment of breast cancer were positive, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) did not believe this market would be commercially viable. The company had hoped for a contraceptive pill – tamoxifen didn’t work for that – not a cancer treatment. In 1972 the higher-ups at ICI decided to cancel the research.‍

But Dora Richardson, the chemist who had originally synthesized the compound, and her boss, Arthur Walpole, were convinced they were on to something important, something that could save lives. They continued the research in secret. Tamoxifen was eventually launched in 1973 and went on to become a global success, saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Dora Richardson’s role in its development, however, was overshadowed by her a male colleague and all but forgotten.

This Best Of episode first aired in October 2024 to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness month. It is now also available in a Spanish adaptation, narrated by Laura Gómez.

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Best Of: Finding Dora Richardson: The Forgotten Developer of Tamoxifen, a Lifesaving Breast Cancer Therapy - Episode Two

Aunque los ensayos clínicos iniciales del tamoxifeno como tratamiento del cáncer de mama fueron positivos, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) no creía que este mercado fuera comercialmente viable. La compañía esperaba una píldora anticonceptiva (el tamoxifeno no funcionó para eso), no un tratamiento contra el cáncer. En 1972, los superiores del ICI decidieron cancelar la investigación. ‍ Pero Dora Richardson, la química que originalmente había sintetizado el compuesto, y su jefe, Arthur Walpole, estaban convencidos de que estaban en algo importante, algo que podría salvar vidas. Continuaron la investigación en secreto. El tamoxifeno se lanzó finalmente en 1973 y se convirtió en un éxito mundial, salvando cientos de miles de vidas. El papel de Dora Richardson en su desarrollo, sin embargo, fue eclipsado por su colega masculino y casi olvidado.

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Encontrando a Dora Richardson – La desarrolladora olvidada del tamoxifeno, una terapia vital contra el cáncer de mama

In the early 1960s, Dr. Dora Richardson synthesized a chemical compound that became one of the most important drugs to treat breast cancer: tamoxifen. Although her name is on the original patent, her contributions have been lost to history.

In the first episode of this two-part podcast, Katie Couric introduces us to Dora’s story, and we show how Lost Women of Science producer Marcy Thompson tracked down Dora’s firsthand account of the history of the drug’s development. This document, lost for decades, tells the story of how the compound was made and how Imperial Chemical Industries, where Richardson worked, almost terminated the project because the company was hoping to produce a contraceptive, not a cancer therapy.

This Best Of episode first aired in October 2024 to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness month. It is now also available in a Spanish adaptation, narrated by Laura Gómez.

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Best Of: Finding Dora Richardson, The Forgotten Developer of Tamoxifen, a Lifesaving Breast Cancer Therapy - Episode One

A principios de la década de los sesenta, la Dra. Dora Richardson sintetizó un compuesto químico que se convirtió en uno de los medicamentos más importantes para tratar el cáncer de mama: el tamoxifeno. Aunque su nombre aparece en la patente original, sus contribuciones fueron olvidadas por la historia. En el primer episodio de este podcast de dos partes, les contamos la historia de Dora y de cómo Marcy Thompson, productora de Lost Women of Science, rastreó su relato en primera persona sobre el desarrollo del medicamento. Este documento, perdido durante décadas, narra cómo se creó el compuesto y cómo la empresa Imperial Chemical Industries, donde trabajaba Richardson, estuvo a punto de cancelar el proyecto porque buscaba desarrollar un anticonceptivo, no una terapia contra el cáncer.

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Encontrando a Dora Richardson – Episodio 1

In high school, Carla Brodley was almost shut out of computer science when boys took over all the computers. But she rediscovered her love for the field in college and has made it her mission to open doors for others. At Northeastern University, she founded the Center for Inclusive Computing, which now partners with more than 100 institutions to make computer science more accessible. As a result of Brodley’s push to introduce more flexible degree programs, more women — and especially more women of color — have not only enrolled but stayed in the field. Now, with support from Pivotal, a group of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates, Brodley is aiming to scale up her efforts. Today she joins Lost Women of Science host Katie Hafner to share her journey, new paths to computer science, and how AI fits in.

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Opening Doors to Computer Science

Frances Glessner Lee discovered her true calling later in life. An heiress without formal schooling, she was in her fifties when she transformed her fascination with true crime and medicine into the foundation of a new field: forensic science. In the late 1920s, she drew inspiration from a family friend, a medical examiner involved in notorious cases— including the infamous Sacco and Vanzetti trial. For Glessner Lee, the puzzle of untangling the truth about violent deaths proved irresistible. She recognized that solving crimes demanded both rigorous methods and professional training. She funded and helped found the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard University. Her most unusual teaching tool: intricately crafted dollhouse dioramas depicting grisly crime scenes.

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Frances Glessner Lee: The Mother of Forensic Science

In this episode, Katie Hafner joins Alexis Pedrick and Mariel Carr to bring you The Mothers of Gynecology, part of Innate: How Science Invented the Myth of Race, a podcast and magazine project produced by the Science History Institute that explores the historical roots and persistent legacies of racism in American science and medicine.

Of all wealthy countries, the United States is the most dangerous place to have a baby. The maternal mortality rate is abysmal, and it's getting worse. And there are huge racial disparities: Black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. Despite some claims to the contrary, the problem isn’t race, it’s racism.

This episode, which first aired in April, 2023, explores the racial disparities in maternal health in the US rooted in 19th century medical exploitation of enslaved women.

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The Mothers of Gynecology

Born in 1850, Sarah Loguen found her calling as a child, when she helped her parents and Harriet Tubman bandage the leg of an injured person escaping slavery. When the Civil War ended and Reconstruction opened up opportunities for African Americans, Loguen became one of the first Black women to earn a medical license. But quickly, racist Jim Crow laws prevailed. At the urging of family friend Frederick Douglass, Loguen married and, with her new husband, set sail for the Dominican Republic where more was possible for a person of color. This is her story.

This Best Of episode, which first aired in September 2023, is also available in a Spanish adaptation, narrated by Laura Gómez.

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Best Of: Dr. Sarah Loguen Fraser, an Ex-Slave’s Daughter, Becomes a Celebrated Doctor

Nacida en 1850, Sarah Loguen encontró su vocación cuando era niña, cuando ayudó a sus padres y a Harriet Tubman a vendar la pierna de una persona herida que escapaba de la esclavitud. Cuando terminó la Guerra Civil y la Reconstrucción abrió oportunidades para los afroamericanos, Loguen se convirtió en una de las primeras mujeres negras en obtener una licencia médica. Pero rápidamente, prevalecieron las leyes racistas de Jim Crow. A instancias de un amigo de la familia, Frederick Douglass, Loguen se casó y, con su nuevo esposo, se embarcó hacia la República Dominicana, donde era posible más para una persona de color. Esta es su historia.

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La Dra. Sarah Loguen Fraser, hija de un ex esclavo, se convierte en una destacada médica

Carolyn Beatrice Parker provenía de una familia de médicos y académicos y trabajó durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial como física en el Proyecto Dayton, una parte fundamental del Proyecto Manhattan encargada de producir polonio. El polonio es un metal radiactivo que se utilizó en la producción de las primeras armas nucleares. Después de la guerra, Parker continuó su investigación y sus estudios en el Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts, pero murió de leucemia a los 48 años antes de que pudiera defender su tesis doctoral. Décadas más tarde, durante el apogeo de las protestas de Black Lives Matter, los ciudadanos de su ciudad natal de Gainesville, Florida, votaron para cambiar el nombre de una escuela primaria en su honor.

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Mujeres perdidas del Proyecto Manhattan: Carolyn Beatrice Parker

YY taught at Tennessee State University, a historically Black university, for 55 years. In this episode, we hear from YY’s colleagues, students and family members about who she was as an educator and how she’s remembered. We’ll also explore where HBCUs stand today – particularly, why they graduate so many successful Black scientists compared to other institutions, and their place in the future of science. Plus, a reimagining of YY’s accomplishments: what did it mean to be the first?

Access a transcript of the episode here: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-black-female-engineer-broke-through-the-double-bind-of-racism-and-sexism-and-directly-nurtured-a-legion-of-stem-leaders/

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The First Lady of Engineering: Chapter 4

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