Tuesday, March 8 is International Women's Day, and we are celebrating by giving you some of the top female scientists today.
Yes, the one feature that all these scientists have in common is that they are women.
While that might seem insignificant, it's actually a big deal considering that women are generally underrepresented in science — especially in the upper ranks of professional research.
Here, we've highlighted 15 female scientists who are doing amazing things, pulled from our article last year listing groundbreaking scientists who are changing the way we see the world.
From a woman who developed a revolutionary blood test that will transform the way we measure our health to an astrophysicist who's trying to find another Earth, here are some of the most amazing women in science.
SEE ALSO: 50 groundbreaking scientists who are changing the way we see the world
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Cori Bargmann is uncovering the causes of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and autism.
Through her studies on roundworms, Cori Bargmann is uncovering how neurons and genes affect behavior. Because many of the gene mechanisms in roundworms mimic those of mammals, Bargmann is able to manipulate certain genes and observe how that affects changes in behavior.
For example, in one study she manipulated a gene that caused the male worms to bumble around while trying to mate, ultimately failing. Bargmann developed the Brain Research Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, which researches the root causes of conditions such as Alzheimer's and autism by looking at connections between brain function and behavior.
Bargmann is the Torsten N. Wiesel Professor in the Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior at Rockefeller University.
Cynthia Kenyon is developing ways to help us live longer and healthier lives.
Cynthia Kenyon joined Google's Calico venture last year, where she helps a team of scientists develop methods to slow aging and prevent age-related diseases.
The goal of Calico is to extend human lives by up to 100 years. Kenyon gained prominence in the science community in 1993 for her discovery that altering a single gene in roundworms could double their life span. Since then, Kenyon has pioneered many more breakthroughs in aging research, including pinpointing which genes help us live longer and determining that a common hormone-signaling pathway controls the rate of aging in several species, humans included.
Kenyon is the vice president of aging research at Calico.
Elizabeth Holmes developed a groundbreaking blood test that will transform the future of healthcare.
Not only is Holmes on a mission to change the healthcare industry, she's the youngest self-made female billionaire in the US.
Holmes dropped out of Stanford during her sophomore year to create Theranos, a blood-testing company that uses a prick of blood to get the same test results as you’d get from an entire vial. The concept is disrupting and revolutionizing the industry by making blood tests faster, simpler, and, most important, cheaper. Theranos has raised $400 million in funding.
Holmes is the founder and CEO of Theranos.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider