INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE 10.02.20234’ Uncategorized INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCEWomen have made substantial contributions to science throughout history, but their accomplishments have often been overlooked or underrepresented. A considerable gender gap has persisted throughout the years at all levels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines all over the world. Despite facing numerous obstacles, including inequity and limited access to education and resources, women have persevered and made lasting impact in all scientific disciplines. To revendicate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science [1], let´s point to some outstanding contributions of female researchers.A LOOK BACK TO SCIENCE HISTORYOne of the most famed female scientists is Marie Curie [2], who was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in different fields, physics and chemistry. Curie made pioneering contributions to the study of radioactivity and was a strong advocate for the use of science to benefit society.Another notable female scientist is Rosalind Franklin [3], who played a crucial role in discovering the structure of DNA. Franklin’s X-ray diffraction images were critical to the discovery, but, unfairly, she did not receive recognition during her lifetime and was not included in the Nobel Prize awarded for the discovery.In more recent times, women like Sally Ride [4] and Mae Jemison [5] have made history as the first American woman and African American woman, respectively, to travel to space.CUTTING-EDGE SINGLE CELL DISCOVERY LEAD BY WOMENSingle cell sequencing technologies have transformed our understanding of biology by allowing us to analyze the individual cells that make up complex tissues and organisms.One of the leading female scientists in the field of single cell sequencing is Dr. Sarah Teichmann [6], who is a pioneer in the development of novel single cell sequencing methods [7]. Dr. Teichmann is co-founder and principal leader of the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) international consortium [8], which aims to generate comprehensive reference maps of all human cells to further understand health and disease.Mayor contributions in the field of single cell research was done by Dr. Barbara Treutlein [9]. She leads the Quantitative Developmental Biology lab, an interdisciplinary group that brings together single cell genomics, state-âof-the-art imaging, and stem cell technologies to understand development, regeneration and reprogramming [10, 11]. She will be awarded the Friedrich Miescher Award 2023 [12], distinction for scientists under 40 working in the field of biochemistry.Another notable female scientist in the field of single cell sequencing is Dr. Stefanie Grosswendt [13], who is dedicated to study embryonic development [14] and neuroblastoma, one of the most common types of cancer in early childhood. In 2021, Dr. Grosswendt won the Berlin School of Integrative Oncology Female Independence Award for her research [15].Despite these and other significant contributions made by women in the field of single cell sequencing, there persists a substantial gender disparity in the field of science and technology more broadly. According to a report by the UNESCO, less than 30% of the world’s researchers are women, and numerous studies have found that women in STEM fields publish less, are paid less for their research and do not progress as far as men in their careers [16].It is crucial to support and encourage women in science, including in the field of single cell sequencing, to guarantee that we continue to make progress in this important area of research. Supporting diversity and inclusion in science can lead to new discoveries, breakthroughs, and a more equitable society. In Singleron, we count with a large number of female scientists in every department that support your research with brilliant science.As a curiosity, a Google search for the top 10 pointillism artists retrieves a list of 9 men and only 1 woman (Anna Boch). This disparity shows that gender inequality covers all aspects in our life, from sciences to art.Hopefully we will soon reach a world where we can choose to analyze our single cell data either with Seurat [17] or with Boch.Rosalie-Anna ‘Anna’ Boch. 1848-1936. Wheat sheaves in a summer landscape.References[1] https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day[2] https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/marie-curie/biographical/[3] https://www.mpg.de/11968981/rosalind-franklin[4] https://www.nasa.gov/feature/sally-ride-first-american-woman-in-space[5] https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mae-jemison [6] https://www.sanger.ac.uk/person/teichmann-sarah/[7] Mahata B. et al. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals T helper cells synthesizing steroids de novo to contribute to immune homeostasis. Cell Rep (2014). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.04.011.[8] https://www.humancellatlas.org/[9] https://bsse.ethz.ch/qdb/the-group/people/person-detail.barbara.html[10] Fleck, J.S., et al. Inferring and perturbing cell fate regulomes in human brain organoids. Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05279-8[11] Lust, K., et al. Single-cell analyses of axolotl telencephalon organization, neurogenesis, and regeneration. Science (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abp9262[12] https://ethz.ch/en/the-eth-zurich/portrait/latest-honours-and-prizes/2023/02/barbara-treutlein-receives-renowned-friedrich-miescher-award.html[13] https://www.mdc-berlin.de/grosswendt[14] Grosswendt, S., et al. Epigenetic regulator function through mouse gastrulation. Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2552-x.[15] https://www.mdc-berlin.de/news/news/single-cell-researcher-stefanie-grosswendt-wins-award[16] https://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/women-science[17] https://satijalab.org/seurat/ A post by Singleron teamCheck out our latests blog posts Learn more 23.04.21 May 1, Labor Day: Celebrating the Division of Labor in Nature Labor Day, also known as International Workers’ Day or May Day, is a global holiday that is celebrated on May 1st each year. The division of labor is also a fundamental phenomenon of the natural world, where different organisms and cells have specialized rolesfunctions. Read more 23.03.24 World Bipolar Day World Bipolar Day is observed on March 30th every year. This day is dedicated to raising awareness about bipolar disorder, affecting approximately 46 million people worldwide. 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