In 1905, Nettie Stevens published a study that would revolutionize the world of science. Her work demonstrated that sex was determined by specific chromosomal bases. Nettie had worked all her life to make a place for herself in the complicated and sexist scientific community at the dawn of the 20th century. Although she was eventually given the recognition she deserved, her scientific work was called into question. These difficulties in finding the recognition that women scientists deserve have continued to be reproduced almost to the present day.
A century later, in 2006, upon the death of the renowned microbial geneticist Esther Lederberg, the respected molecular biology professor Dr. Stanley Falkow stated in his farewell speech regarding the unfair treatment of women scientists: "Martha Chase (1927-2003), Daisy Roulland-Dussoix (1936-2014) and Esther Lederberg (1922-2006) were women who made crucial discoveries in science".
Martha Chase showed that the hereditary material of bacteriophages is DNA, and not proteins.
Daisy Dussoix discovered restriction enzymes.
Esther Lederberg invented the replica plate.
Each of those discoveries have been assigned to a male member of the research group (Alfred Hershey, Werber Arber, and Joshua Lederberg, respectively). Likewise, as the final culmination of his speech, the scientist added: «Historians would do well to review the science of the mid-20th century, a time of great contributions, but also of enormous discrimination».