Marie Curie- Nothing in life is to be feared

Marie Curie

The July 4th, 2017 is the 150th Death Anniversary of Marie Skłodowska Curie, better known as Marie Curie.

She was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland. However, in 1891, aged 24, she followed her older sister to study in Paris, where she earned her higher degrees and conducted her subsequent scientific work. She did extensive research on radioactivity and chemical element radium and polonium which fetched her the most coveted Nobel prize twice in Physics and Chemistry respectively.  In fact, she is the only woman scientist to achieve this rare feat.

It was under her guidance that the cancer was studied for the first time using radioactive isotopes. She set up the mobile military field radiological centres during World War I on war fronts.  She has a notable work in cancer therapies and founded the Curie Institute in Paris and Warsaw, which remain major centres of medical research today.

Ironically, she died at the age of 66 from aplastic anemia, presumably due to her prolonged exposure to radiation, while carrying radium test tubes in her pockets during research.

She has lived, as “nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood”