Editorial collection
Scientists, their discoveries, anniversaries, landmark experiments, and the human stories that changed science.
6 articles
01Photo 51 became the symbol of Rosalind Franklin’s contribution to the discovery of DNA’s structure. Yet it was not a ready-made image of the double helix: her measurements, calculations and analysis were equally important.
02Born on July 31, Stephanie Kwolek recognized the value of an unusual cloudy polymer solution and opened the way to Kevlar, a lightweight fiber whose molecular structure gives it exceptional tensile strength.
03An archival photograph shows a nurse sharing news of the Salk vaccine trial with a patient who had already been disabled by polio. The story explains what the 1.8-million-child trial proved—and what it could not yet answer.
04Born on July 27, 1881, Hans Fischer revealed the chemistry behind heme and helped connect the red pigment of blood with the green pigment of plants. His work transformed natural colors into precise molecular structures.
05Britton Chance developed instruments for observing rapid enzyme reactions and metabolism inside living tissue. Outside the laboratory, he became an Olympic sailing champion.
06Mendel uncovered basic patterns of inheritance through pea experiments. Here is how his laws work and why modern genetics is more complex.
