Contents
Books
Marie Curie : a life /
by Quinn, Susan
One hundred years ago, Marie Curie discovered radioactivity, for which she won the Nobel Prize in physics. In 1911 she won an unprecedented second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry, for isolating new radioactive elements. Despite these achievements, or perhaps because of her fame, she has remained a saintly, unapproachable genius. From family documents and a private journal only recently made available, Susan Quinn at last tells the full human story. From the stubborn sixteen-year-old studying science at night while working as a governess, to her romance and scientific partnership with Pierre Curie–an extraordinary marriage of equals–we feel her defeats as well as her successes: her rejection by the French Academy, her unbearable grief at Pierre’s untimely and gruesome death, and her retreat into a love affair with a married fellow scientist, causing a scandal which almost cost her the second Nobel Prize. In Susan Quinn’s fully dimensional portrait, we come at last to know this complicated, passionate, brilliant woman.
The Curies : a biography of the most controversial family in science /
by Brian, Denis
Focusing on the lives and relationships behind their magnificent careers, The Curies is the first biography to trace the entire Curie dynasty, from Pierre and Marie’s fruitful union and achievements to the lives and accomplishments of their two daughters, Irène and Eve, and son-in-law Frederic Joliot-Curie. Biographer Denis Brian digs deep beneath the headlines and legends to reveal the Curies’ multigenerational saga in its entirety, featuring new, never-before-published personal information as well as newly revealed correspondence and diary excerpts. Brimming with endearing and often amusing anecdotes about this much-misunderstood clan, The Curies reveals a family as closely intertwined in their private lives as they were in their professional endeavors.
The scientists : an epic of discovery /
by Robinson, Andrew, 1957-
This book tells the remarkable lives of the pioneers of science from Galileo and Newton, Faraday and Darwin, Pasteur and Marie Curie, to Einstein, Freud, Turing, and Crick and Watson. A series of seventy articles, written by an international team of distinguished scientists, historians of science and science writers, provides an unrivalled account of the lives and personalities behind the greatest scientific breakthroughs of all time. Organized thematically, starting at the Universe, and moving smaller through the Earth and Molecules and Matter to Inside the Atom, with the final two sections looking at Life and Body and Mind, it covers all the major scientific disciplines, including astronomy, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computing, ecology, geology, medicine, neurology, physics and psychology, as well as mathematics. The Scientists will intrigue budding scientists, those fascinated by the lives of great individuals, and anyone curious to know how over the centuries we came to understand the physical world around us and inside us.
Journal Articles
Des Jardins, J. (2011). THE PASSION OF MADAME CURIE. Smithsonian, 42(6), 82-90.
A biography of physicist and chemist Marie Curie, born Manya Sklodowska, is presented. It examines her scientific career, including her discovery of the elements polonium and radium. The author examines Curie’s marriage to physicist Pierre Curie and their collaboration. Other topics include attitudes toward Curie as a woman scientist, her Nobel Prizes, and a 1921 trip to the U.S. at the behest of journalist Missy Melonie.
Kułakowski, A. (2011, August 15). The contribution of Marie Skłodowska-Curie to the development of modern oncology. Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry. pp. 1583-1586. doi:10.1007/s00216-011-4712-1.
The article examines the discoveries of Marie Sklodowska-Curie as it is applied in modern oncology. The discovery of radium and polonium, the development of brachytherapy, and nuclear medicine are based on Curie’s pioneering work. Subsequent developments to increase the safety of doctors when applying brachytherapy include the use of radioactive isotopes both for treatment of curable cancer and for palliative care. Developments in nuclear medicine include new devices such as the single photon emission computed tomography or SPECT.
Macklis, R. M. (2002). Scientist, technologist, proto-feminist, superstar. Science, 295(5560), 1647-1648.
The life and work of Marie Curie (1867–1934), the most celebrated female scientist in history, are profiled. Curie is best known for her discovery of radium; however, her greatest achievement in science was her realization that radioactivity is an intrinsic atomic property of matter rather than the product of more superficial chemical processes. Curie was a Nobel laureate twice, in the fields of physics and chemistry, an exceedingly rare achievement. She displayed dogged determinism, unswerving devotion to work, political tenacity, and an optimistic belief in scientific positivism. Curie entered and succeeded dramatically and publicly in a sphere traditionally dominated by men.
Skwarzec, B. (2011). Maria Skłodowska-Curie (1867-1934)-her life and discoveries. Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry, 400(6), 1547-1554.
A biography of Maria Sklaodowska-Curie, two-time Nobel prize awardee and pioneer in the field of radioactivity, is presented. She was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, Poland to two respected teachers. She struggled to finish her studies when their fortune was lost due to her family’s involvement in the Polish uprising. Details about her study of uranium rays, pitchblende and chalcolite are discussed. Her marriage to Pierre Curie, her experience during the war and how she established the Radium Institute are also included.