Explore how women scientists have transformed medicine, biology, and our understanding of life itself through the groundbreaking work of Jane Goodall, Tu Youyou, Marie Curie, and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Students will discover how curiosity, determination, and scientific innovation helped these women make discoveries that changed lives around the world.
This Kahoot explores major breakthroughs in fields such as medicine, chemistry, biology, and disease research, while highlighting the challenges many women scientists faced in gaining recognition and opportunities in their fields. Students will build listening skills, vocabulary, and scientific awareness as they learn how research and discovery can improve health, deepen knowledge, and shape the future.
Watch the related BBC videos (below), then invite your Grade 6–12 students to test their knowledge and explore the lasting global impact of women in science.
In Henrietta Lacks and the Legacy of Her Extraordinary Cells, learn about Henrietta Lacks, whose cells, taken without her consent during her treatment for cervical cancer, became one of the most important tools in medical research. Henrietta's cells, known as HeLa cells, have continued to divide and grow in laboratories for decades, making them a valuable resource for scientists. Understand the significance of her contribution to science and explore the ethical questions surrounding consent and cell ownership. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary People, a documentary series revealing how rare medical conditions inspire groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
In Einstein and the Nuclear Bomb, host Chris Packham explores Albert Einstein's scientific contributions. As a pacifist, he was opposed to the use of his research to develop nuclear weapons. Einstein’s story reveals the burden of scientific discovery in wartime. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century, a documentary series celebrating the achievements of the most influential figures of the era.
The article "Out of the Cold: The Slow Beginnings of Climate Change Science" from BBC's HistoryExtra delves into the early scientific explorations of climate change, tracing its beginnings to the 19th Century. Early pioneers, including Eunice Newton Foote, John Tyndall, and Svante Arrhenius, each contributed to the understanding of how human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, could alter Earth's temperature. However, these early insights were often overlooked or misunderstood, and it wasn’t until the mid-20th Century that the idea of human-induced climate change began to gain traction.
In Some People's Sense of Smell Can Detect Disease, learn how Joy, a woman with a unique sense of smell, is helping doctors understand the early detection of disease. By detecting a specific smell that is associated with Parkinson’s, Joy is contributing to groundbreaking research that could help improve diagnosis and treatment. Learn how the sense of smell can play a crucial role in detecting diseases before other symptoms appear. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary People, a documentary series revealing how rare medical conditions inspire groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
In Hypermobility and Collagen, learn about the science behind hypermobility. Meet Claudia, a woman whose hypermobile joints allow her to be especially flexible. Explore how collagen, the protein that helps provide structure and elasticity to tissues, contributes to hypermobility. See how the laxity of connective tissue around joints can make some people more flexible but also more prone to injury. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary People, a documentary series revealing how rare medical conditions inspire groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
The article "How Scientists From Around the World Helped Shape Modern Science" from BBC's HistoryExtra explains how science in the 16th to 18th Centuries wasn't only shaped by famous Europeans like Copernicus or Newton. Thinkers from Asia, Africa, and the Americas also made important contributions.
Explore how women scientists have transformed medicine, biology, and our understanding of life itself through the groundbreaking work of Jane Goodall, Tu Youyou, Marie Curie, and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Students will discover how curiosity, determination, and scientific innovation helped these women make discoveries that changed lives around the world.
This Kahoot explores major breakthroughs in fields such as medicine, chemistry, biology, and disease research, while highlighting the challenges many women scientists faced in gaining recognition and opportunities in their fields. Students will build listening skills, vocabulary, and scientific awareness as they learn how research and discovery can improve health, deepen knowledge, and shape the future.
Watch the related BBC videos (below), then invite your Grade 6–12 students to test their knowledge and explore the lasting global impact of women in science.
In Henrietta Lacks and the Legacy of Her Extraordinary Cells, learn about Henrietta Lacks, whose cells, taken without her consent during her treatment for cervical cancer, became one of the most important tools in medical research. Henrietta's cells, known as HeLa cells, have continued to divide and grow in laboratories for decades, making them a valuable resource for scientists. Understand the significance of her contribution to science and explore the ethical questions surrounding consent and cell ownership. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary People, a documentary series revealing how rare medical conditions inspire groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
In Einstein and the Nuclear Bomb, host Chris Packham explores Albert Einstein's scientific contributions. As a pacifist, he was opposed to the use of his research to develop nuclear weapons. Einstein’s story reveals the burden of scientific discovery in wartime. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century, a documentary series celebrating the achievements of the most influential figures of the era.
The article "Out of the Cold: The Slow Beginnings of Climate Change Science" from BBC's HistoryExtra delves into the early scientific explorations of climate change, tracing its beginnings to the 19th Century. Early pioneers, including Eunice Newton Foote, John Tyndall, and Svante Arrhenius, each contributed to the understanding of how human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, could alter Earth's temperature. However, these early insights were often overlooked or misunderstood, and it wasn’t until the mid-20th Century that the idea of human-induced climate change began to gain traction.
In Some People's Sense of Smell Can Detect Disease, learn how Joy, a woman with a unique sense of smell, is helping doctors understand the early detection of disease. By detecting a specific smell that is associated with Parkinson’s, Joy is contributing to groundbreaking research that could help improve diagnosis and treatment. Learn how the sense of smell can play a crucial role in detecting diseases before other symptoms appear. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary People, a documentary series revealing how rare medical conditions inspire groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
In Hypermobility and Collagen, learn about the science behind hypermobility. Meet Claudia, a woman whose hypermobile joints allow her to be especially flexible. Explore how collagen, the protein that helps provide structure and elasticity to tissues, contributes to hypermobility. See how the laxity of connective tissue around joints can make some people more flexible but also more prone to injury. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The World’s Most Extraordinary People, a documentary series revealing how rare medical conditions inspire groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
The article "How Scientists From Around the World Helped Shape Modern Science" from BBC's HistoryExtra explains how science in the 16th to 18th Centuries wasn't only shaped by famous Europeans like Copernicus or Newton. Thinkers from Asia, Africa, and the Americas also made important contributions.