Lost Women of Science

In this podcast, we learn about Jewish physicist Lise Meitner and her groundbreaking discovery of nuclear fission. The episode explores her complex relationship with Otto Hahn, the ethics of nuclear weapons, and the role of antisemitism in Meitner's exclusion from the Nobel Prize. The story highlights Meitner's unwavering moral compass and her lasting legacy.

Physicist Lise Meitner was not awarded the Nobel Prize for splitting the atom. In this episode, we dive into her letters revealing her discovery of nuclear fission and her fraught relationship with collaborator Otto Hahn.

Physicists Ruth Howes and Caroline Herzenberg explore the forgotten female scientists of the Manhattan Project, documenting their crucial roles in building a nuclear weapon. Their book 'Lost Women of the Manhattan Project' highlights how these women were overlooked in formal histories. The hosts discuss their efforts to uncover and preserve the contributions of these women, and the renewed attention they have received since the film 'Oppenheimer' was released. They emphasize the importance of acknowledging their work and sharing their stories.

Guest, Katharine Way, a nuclear physicist and expert in radioactive decay, discusses her concerns about the ethics of atomic bombs after working on the Manhattan Project. She signed a petition urging President Truman to consider the moral implications of dropping the bomb and remained an advocate for fairness and justice. The podcast also explores her activism, involvement in neutron source construction, creation of artificial isotope Neptuneium 239, and her commitment to social justice.

Lilli Hornig, a talented chemist and advocate for female scientists, battled sexism throughout her career. She worked closely on plutonium research and was part of the team that developed and tested the mechanism for the plutonium weapon in the Trinity test. This podcast explores her personal journey and experiences at Los Alamos, as well as her contributions to science and advocacy for women in the field.

Naomi Livesay, born in 1916 in the northern reaches of Montana, aspired to one career: mathematics. She earned a bachelor’s degree in math, but when she decided to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, men on the faculty balked. Mathematics, they said, was no place for a woman. Then fate intervened, and Livesay embarked on a circuitous route to Los Alamos, where she landed in 1944 and started as a supervisor in the computation lab during the Manhattan Project. She played, as episode guest Nichole Dale Lewis describes it, “a unique role at a unique place under unique pressures.” Livesay was a reluctant recruit, and it wasn’t until the physicist Richard Feynman stepped in to persuade her to take the job of supervising work on the IBM punch card accounting machinery, that she agreed. And then Oppenheimer himself went out of his way to make sure that Livesay had everything she needed to get the job done. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Floy Agnes Lee was a hematologist at Los Alamos. Recruited to the Manhattan Project while still  a student at University of New Mexico, she collected blood samples from many Manhattan Project scientists, including Louis Slotin, following an accident that exposed him to a fatal dose of radiation. Years after the war, she returned to Los Alamos National Laboratory and conducted research on the impact of radiation on chromosomes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Leona Woods Marshall Libby was the only woman hired onto Enrico Fermi's team at the Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago. She was just 23 years old, already had a Ph.D. in molecular spectroscopy and a deep understanding  of vacuum technology. She was also the only woman present at the world’s first successful nuclear chain reaction. Amid all this, she managed to conceal her pregnancy until two days before her baby was born. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

During World War II, thousands of scientists and engineers worked on the Manhattan project, the top secret push to develop an atomic bomb that would end the war. Two bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki did just that, while also killing hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians. The devastating potential of nuclear weapons sparked a moral controversy that continues to this day. Hundreds of the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project were women. Over the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you a few of their stories. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Discover the fascinating story of Alessandra Giliani, a 14th-century Italian anatomist who defied gender norms to pursue a career in medicine. Uncover evidence of her existence in illuminated manuscripts and learn about her pioneering work in anatomy and the circulatory system. Explore the possibility that her work was erased by the church and reflect on the challenges faced by female scientists in history.