As a child growing up in rural Kerala, my chief entertainment was reading: mostly
science, history of science and, also, biographies of scientists. To me, science
seemed pure and uncluttered by politicking. I thought of scientists as completely
rational beings, driven only by a desire to uncover the mysteries of the universe. In
my mind, they were impartial observers, experimenters and thinkers, untouched by
personal prejudices.
But, as I grew up, I came to realise that this was far from the truth. No doubt, the
history of science has many examples of cooperation between scientists, often from
multiple disciplines, working together to uncover the mysteries of nature. But, it is
also peppered with examples of prejudice, power play, factionalism, politics and
one-upmanship. One such example is the exciting story of the uncovering of the
structure of DNA shared in this issue’s ‘Discovering the Helical Staircase’. Every time
I dwell on this path-breaking discovery, I am left with deep sadness at how one of
the scientists who contributed significantly to this achievement – Rosalind Franklin
– received hardly any credit for it. This is a reflection of how women scientists were
systematically relegated to the background in those days. The men who dominated
science wanted to keep it that way – dominated by men. How much more would
science have progressed if women had been given their rightful say and
encouragement?
Continued in Editor's Desk...
