Marie Curie Biography

Here’s something wild: Marie Curie’s research notebooks from the 1890s are still radioactive. Like, dangerously radioactive. They’re kept in lead-lined boxes in France, and if you want to see them, you need to sign a liability waiver and wear protective gear.

That’s the level of dedication we’re talking about here. This woman literally put her life on the line for science—and she changed the world because of it.

When I first learned about Marie Curie’s biography in high school, my teacher glossed over it in about five minutes. “First woman to win a Nobel Prize, discovered radium, died from radiation exposure. Next topic.” But Marie Curie’s story isn’t just another dusty historical anecdote. It’s a masterclass in resilience, brilliance, and what happens when you refuse to accept the world’s limitations on who you can be.

Let me take you through the real story—the one with scandal, heartbreak, brilliant discoveries, and enough glow-in-the-dark material to light up Paris. Because trust me, Marie Curie’s life story is way more fascinating than any textbook lets on.

The Girl from Warsaw Who Wasn’t Supposed to Amount to Anything

Marie Curie’s childhood and early life reads like the opening chapter of an underdog story. Born Maria Skłodowska on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland—except it wasn’t really “Poland” then. The Russian Empire controlled the region, and let’s just say they weren’t particularly fond of Polish culture, language, or ambitions.

Picture this: Marie’s parents were both teachers, which sounds stable until you realize that her family was constantly struggling financially. Her father lost his job for political reasons. They took in boarders to make ends meet. And then tragedy struck—hard and fast.

When Marie was just eight, her oldest sister Zofia died of typhus. Two years later, her mother passed away from tuberculosis. Marie was ten years old, dealing with grief that would shape her entire personality, and already displaying that stubborn brilliance that would define her career.

The Underground University Years

Here’s where Marie Curie’s education and university journey gets interesting. Women couldn’t attend university in Russian-controlled Poland. Like, it was literally illegal. So what did young Maria and other ambitious Polish women do? They joined the “Flying University”—an underground educational network that moved locations constantly to avoid Russian authorities.

Imagine studying chemistry and physics in secret, moving from apartment to apartment, whispering about scientific theories like they’re revolutionary secrets. Which, in a way, they were.

But Marie wanted more. She dreamed of real university education, legitimate degrees, and access to proper laboratories. The problem? She was broke. Her solution? Make a deal with her sister Bronya.

The Pact: Marie would work as a governess to fund Bronya’s medical studies in Paris. Then, once Bronya graduated and started earning money, she’d support Marie’s education in return.

For three years, Marie worked as a governess for wealthy families in Poland. She taught their children, saved every penny, and studied mathematics and physics in her spare time. She also fell in love with the family’s son—a romance that ended when his parents refused to let him marry “beneath his station.” First heartbreak, but not the last.

Paris: Where Everything Changed

In 1891, at age 24, Marie finally made it to Paris. She enrolled at the Sorbonne (officially called the University of Paris) to study physics and mathematics.

And let me tell you, Marie Curie’s education and university experience in Paris was intense. She lived in a tiny, freezing attic apartment—so cold that water froze in the basin overnight. She survived on bread, chocolate, and eggs because she was spending all her money on books and laboratory fees. She once fainted in class from malnutrition and overwork.

But she was happy. For the first time in her life, she had access to world-class professors, modern equipment, and a library that didn’t need to hide from authorities.

In 1893, she earned her degree in physics—top of her class. The following year, she completed another degree in mathematics—second in her class. Not bad for someone who’d been studying in secret attics just a few years earlier.

Enter Pierre Curie: The Science Romance We Didn’t Know We Needed

Marie Curie’s husband, Pierre Curie, enters the story in 1894, and their meeting is actually kind of adorable. Marie needed laboratory space for a research project on magnetism. A colleague introduced her to Pierre Curie, a brilliant physicist who had some spare room in his lab.

It wasn’t love at first sight. It was something better—mutual respect, shared passion for science, and recognition of each other’s brilliance.

Pierre was 35, already established in the scientific community, and he’d sworn off marriage to focus on research. Marie was 27, fiercely independent, and planning to return to Poland after her studies. Neither was looking for romance.

But then they started talking. About science. About ideas. About the mysteries of the universe and how to unlock them. Pierre later wrote that he’d never met anyone who understood him like Marie did.

Was Marie Curie married and did she have children? Yes, and here’s the beautiful part—Pierre proposed by offering Marie something most men of that era would never consider: an equal partnership.

He didn’t ask her to give up her career. He didn’t expect her to become a housewife. He proposed a life of shared research, mutual respect, and collaborative genius. On July 26, 1895, they married in a simple civil ceremony. Marie wore a dark blue dress—practical and suitable for laboratory work.

They had two daughters: Irène Joliot-Curie (born 1897), who would also win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and Ève Curie (born 1904), who became a successful writer and penned her mother’s famous biography.

The Discovery That Changed Everything

Now we get to the good stuff—Marie Curie’s discovery of radium and polonium. This is where her biography shifts from “inspiring but ordinary” to “holy cow, this woman was extraordinary.”

What Were Marie Curie’s Most Important Discoveries?

In 1896, Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium emitted mysterious rays. Most scientists found this mildly interesting and moved on. Marie Curie saw an opportunity for her doctoral research—she’d be the first woman in France to earn a PhD in science, so her dissertation topic needed to be groundbreaking.

She started investigating these uranium rays, using equipment Pierre had invented to measure electrical currents. And she made a shocking discovery: the rays weren’t just coming from uranium. Another element in pitchblende ore (the rock that contained uranium) was emitting even stronger rays.

Marie coined the term “radioactivity” to describe this phenomenon. The word didn’t exist before her.

Then came the hard part. If there was another radioactive element in pitchblende, she needed to isolate it. Pierre was so excited by her findings that he abandoned his own research to help her. Together, they began processing literally tons of pitchblende ore.

Picture this: a small, poorly ventilated shed serving as their laboratory. No proper safety equipment. Marie stirring massive pots of boiling pitchblende with a rod nearly as tall as she was. Pierre hauling sacks of ore. Both of them working in conditions that would horrify modern scientists.

Four years of backbreaking work. Processing eight tons of pitchblende residue. Working in summer heat and winter cold. And finally, in 1898, they announced two new elements:

Polonium – Named after Marie’s beloved homeland, Poland Radium – The element that glowed mysteriously in the dark

The isolation of radium in its pure form took another four years. When they finally succeeded in 1902, they had one-tenth of a gram of radium chloride extracted from several tons of pitchblende.

The Glow That Changed Medicine

Here’s what made radium revolutionary: it emitted energy continuously without any external power source. It literally glowed in the dark. It generated heat. It seemed to violate the law of conservation of energy—how could it keep producing energy indefinitely?

The answer would eventually lead to Einstein’s E=mc² and our understanding of atomic energy. But at the time, it was just mind-blowingly weird.

Radium also had another property: it killed living cells. This observation would eventually lead to radiation therapy for cancer, saving countless lives. Marie Curie’s legacy in modern science includes not just her discoveries, but the entire field of nuclear medicine that grew from her work.

The Nobel Prize She Almost Didn’t Get

Marie Curie’s first woman Nobel Prize story is actually infuriating. In 1903, the Nobel Committee planned to award the Physics Prize to Henri Becquerel and Pierre Curie for their work on radioactivity.

Notice who’s missing from that list? The woman who’d actually done most of the work.

Pierre found out about this plan and was furious. He sent a letter to the committee essentially saying, “If Marie isn’t included, I’m not accepting.” He insisted that the radioactivity research was primarily Marie’s work.

The committee reluctantly added her name. On December 10, 1903, Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, sharing the Physics Prize with Pierre and Becquerel.

But here’s the kicker—she was too sick to attend the ceremony. Pregnancy with their second daughter, combined with the physical toll of working with radioactive materials, left her bedridden. She and Pierre finally traveled to Stockholm in 1905 to deliver their Nobel lecture.

What Awards and Honors Did Marie Curie Receive During Her Lifetime?

Beyond the Nobel Prize, Marie Curie’s legacy and honors accumulated steadily:

• Davy Medal (1903) – Royal Society’s highest honor in chemistry
• Matteucci Medal (1904) – Italian recognition for scientific achievement
• Elliott Cresson Medal (1909) – Franklin Institute award
• Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1911) – Making her the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences
• Willard Gibbs Award (1921) – American Chemical Society recognition

But perhaps her greatest honor came posthumously. In 1995, Marie Curie became the first woman buried in the Panthéon in Paris on her own merits (not as someone’s wife). Marie Curie’s Panthéon Paris burial symbolized France’s recognition of her contributions to science and humanity.

Tragedy and Scandal: The Plot Twists Nobody Sees Coming

How Did Pierre Curie’s Death Affect Marie Curie?

April 19, 1906. Rainy day in Paris. Pierre was crossing the Rue Dauphine when he slipped on the wet pavement, falling directly in the path of a horse-drawn wagon. The wagon ran over his head, killing him instantly.

How did Pierre Curie’s death affect Marie Curie? She was devastated. Absolutely shattered. The man who’d been her partner, collaborator, intellectual equal, and great love was gone at age 46.

But Marie didn’t collapse. Instead, she did something revolutionary—she took over Pierre’s professorship at the Sorbonne, becoming the first female professor in the institution’s 650-year history.

Her first lecture drew massive crowds. People packed the amphitheater, curious to see how the grieving widow would handle her late husband’s class. Marie walked to the podium and began her lecture by picking up exactly where Pierre’s last lecture had ended—not a word about his death, not a mention of her own grief. Just pure science.

The audience gave her a standing ovation.

The Langevin Affair: When Science Met Scandal

Here’s the part of Marie Curie’s biography that gets glossed over in textbooks, but it’s crucial to understanding her as a complete person.

In 1910, four years after Pierre’s death, Marie fell in love with physicist Paul Langevin. The problem? He was married. His wife was reportedly abusive, and he’d been separated from her, but still—scandal material in early 1900s Paris.

When their relationship became public in 1911, the French press went absolutely nuclear (pun intended). The headlines were vicious:

“Foreign Woman Breaks Up French Home!” “The Vixen Who Destroys Families!”

Never mind that Marie had won two Nobel Prizes. Never mind her contributions to science. The xenophobia and sexism came roaring out. She was Polish (foreign!), she was a woman (suspicious!), and she dared to have a romantic life after her husband’s death (scandalous!).

An angry mob literally gathered outside her house. She had to send her daughters away for their safety.

Einstein, being the absolute legend that he was, wrote her a letter saying: “If the rabble continues to occupy itself with you, then simply don’t read that hogwash, but rather leave it to the reptile for whom it has been fabricated.”

The scandal coincided with her second Nobel Prize announcement. Some committee members wanted to rescind the Chemistry Prize. The Swedish Academy’s Svante Arrhenius even wrote suggesting she not come to Stockholm.

Marie’s response? She showed up to Stockholm, accepted her second Nobel Prize, and delivered another brilliant lecture. Because that’s how Marie Curie rolled.

The War Years: When Science Met Service

How did Marie Curie contribute to World War I? This chapter of her life showcases her practical genius and humanitarian spirit.

When World War I broke out in 1914, Marie saw an immediate problem: wounded soldiers were dying because doctors couldn’t locate bullets and shrapnel to remove them. X-ray technology existed, but X-ray machines were bulky, expensive, and located in city hospitals far from the battlefields.

Marie’s solution? Make X-ray machines mobile.

She designed and equipped 20 mobile X-ray units—nicknamed “petites Curies” (little Curies)—essentially vans with X-ray equipment and portable generators. She also set up 200 radiological rooms in field hospitals.

But here’s the incredible part: Marie didn’t just design these units. She learned to drive, got her driver’s license, and personally drove these vans to the front lines. She was in her late 40s, internationally famous, and she was dodging artillery fire to bring X-ray technology to field hospitals.

She also trained her teenage daughter Irène to operate X-ray equipment. Together, they taught doctors and nurses how to use the technology, creating a cadre of radiological technicians that treated over one million soldiers during the war.

Marie Curie’s contribution to World War I saved countless lives. She never charged for her services, never sought recognition, and after the war, the French government never officially thanked her. (They later gave her the Legion of Honour, which she refused because she “didn’t need decorations, she needed laboratory funds.”)

The American Tour: When America Fell in Love with Madame Curie

In 1921, American journalist Marie Mattingly Meloney interviewed Marie Curie for a magazine. During the interview, Marie mentioned that radium was crucial for cancer research, but she couldn’t afford to buy enough for her laboratory. One gram of radium cost $100,000 (about $1.5 million today).

Meloney was shocked. Here was the woman who’d discovered radium, who’d won two Nobel Prizes, and she couldn’t afford her own research materials?

Meloney launched a campaign. American women rallied. They raised the money to buy Marie Curie one gram of pure radium.

In May 1921, Marie traveled to America to accept this gift. She toured the country, visiting universities, giving lectures, and meeting with President Warren G. Harding at the White House. The gram of radium was presented in a lead-lined mahogany box (because by now, everyone understood radiation wasn’t exactly safe).

The tour was exhausting for Marie, who was already suffering from radiation-related illnesses, but it secured her laboratory’s future and cemented her status as an international scientific icon.

The Question Everyone Asks: Did She Know?

Did Marie Curie know about the dangers of radiation? This is complicated.

In the early years of her research, nobody understood radiation hazards. Scientists would carry radioactive materials in their pockets. Marie kept a vial of radium salts by her bedside because she loved watching it glow in the dark.

But by the 1910s and 1920s, evidence of radiation’s dangers was mounting. Factory workers painting watch dials with radium-based paint were dying of radiation poisoning (the tragic story of the “Radium Girls”). Marie herself was experiencing health problems: cataracts, persistent fatigue, and blood disorders.

The truth is, Marie probably suspected radiation was harmful, but she continued her work anyway. In her mind, the scientific knowledge and medical benefits outweighed personal risks. Whether that was brave or reckless is a question each person has to answer for themselves.

How Did Marie Curie Die and What Caused Her Death?

On July 4, 1934, Marie Curie died at a sanatorium in the French Alps. The official cause of death was aplastic anemia—a blood disorder caused by radiation exposure that destroyed her bone marrow’s ability to produce new blood cells.

Marie Curie’s death from radiation was both tragic and, in a dark way, predictable. Years of handling radioactive materials without protection had accumulated radiation in her body. Her notebooks, her laboratory equipment, even her cookbooks from that era remain radioactive today.

She was 66 years old. She’d spent four decades pushing the boundaries of science, breaking gender barriers, surviving personal tragedies, and fundamentally changing our understanding of the universe.

The Legacy That Glows Forever

What is Marie Curie’s legacy in modern science? Let me count the ways:

Direct Scientific Impact

• Cancer Treatment: Radiation therapy, developed from her radium research, has saved millions of lives
• Nuclear Physics: Her work laid groundwork for understanding atomic structure
• Medical Imaging: X-ray technology she developed and deployed during WWI
• Element Discovery: Polonium (Element 84) and Radium (Element 88)
• Curium: Element 96, named jointly for Marie and Pierre

Institutional Legacy

• Curie Institute (Paris): Founded by Marie, it remains a leading cancer research center
• Radium Institute (Warsaw): Now called the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Institute of Oncology
• International Research Standards: Her meticulous documentation set standards for reproducible research

Cultural Impact

• Women in Science: She proved women could excel in scientific research
• Open Science: She and Pierre refused to patent their radium isolation process, believing scientific knowledge should benefit humanity
• Polish National Pride: Despite living in France, she never forgot her roots (naming polonium after Poland was political activism)

Five Nobel Prizes in one family. Let that sink in.

The Wisdom She Left Behind: Marie Curie’s Quotes and Philosophy

Marie Curie’s quotes and philosophy reveal a woman who was practical, determined, and deeply committed to scientific truth. Here are some of her most powerful insights:

On persistence: “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”

On fear: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

On work: “I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.”

On curiosity: “Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.”

On gender: “I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale.”

Notice she said “he” despite being the most accomplished female scientist of her time. That’s how thoroughly male-dominated science was—even Marie defaulted to male pronouns.

The Timeline That Changed History

Let me give you Marie Curie’s timeline and achievements in a quick-reference format:

1867: Born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw, Poland
1883: Graduated high school with gold medal
1891: Moved to Paris, enrolled at Sorbonne
1893: Earned physics degree (first in class)
1894: Earned mathematics degree, met Pierre Curie
1895: Married Pierre Curie
1897: Daughter Irène born
1898: Discovered polonium and radium, coined term “radioactivity”
1903: Won Nobel Prize in Physics (with Pierre and Becquerel)
1904: Daughter Ève born
1906: Pierre died; Marie became first female professor at Sorbonne
1911: Won Nobel Prize in Chemistry (solo)
1914-1918: Developed and deployed mobile X-ray units for WWI
1921: American tour, received gram of radium
1934: Died from radiation exposure at age 66
1995: Became first woman buried in Panthéon on own merits

What the Books Don’t Tell You: The Complete Picture

I’ve read a dozen Marie Curie books and autobiography sources (well, she never wrote a complete autobiography, but her daughter Ève wrote the definitive biography “Madame Curie” in 1937). Here’s what often gets left out:

She Was Stubborn as Hell

Marie didn’t just persevere—she was sometimes unreasonably obstinate. She refused honors she thought were meaningless. She declined social invitations to work instead. She could be difficult to work with if she thought you weren’t taking science seriously enough.

She Was Also Warm and Loving

Despite her stern public image, Marie was devoted to her daughters. She cooked, she read them stories, she worried about their education. She maintained close friendships throughout her life. She wasn’t some cold, calculating genius—she was fully human.

She Struggled with Depression

After her mother’s death, Pierre’s death, and during the Langevin scandal, Marie experienced what we’d now recognize as depression. She kept working, but she also suffered. Her letters reveal periods of deep despair.

She Was Politically Aware

Naming polonium after Poland wasn’t just sentiment—it was a political statement at a time when Poland didn’t officially exist as a country. Marie never became French (she kept her Polish citizenship even after marrying Pierre). She was making a statement about Polish national identity.

Why Her Story Matters More Than Ever

Here’s why Marie Curie, women in science pioneer remains relevant in 2025:

1. The Gender Gap Persists Women still represent less than 30% of STEM researchers globally. Marie Curie faced obstacles we’ve reduced but not eliminated.

2. The Work-Life Balance Question Marie managed groundbreaking research while raising two daughters. Modern working parents still grapple with similar challenges.

3. The Recognition Problem The “Matilda Effect” (when women’s scientific contributions get credited to male colleagues) is named after Matilda Joslyn Gage, but Marie Curie almost experienced it with her first Nobel Prize.

4. The Sacrifice Question Marie literally gave her life for her research. Modern scientists still debate the ethics of dangerous research and acceptable risks.

5. The Immigration Story Marie was an immigrant who transformed her adopted country’s scientific standing. That story resonates in our globalized world.

The Laboratory and Research: Where Magic Happened

Marie Curie’s laboratory and research conditions would make modern scientists weep. Their first “laboratory” was a leaky shed with a dirt floor. Temperature control? Nonexistent. Ventilation? Open the door. Safety equipment? What’s that?

But in that shed, magic happened. Marie and Pierre would work late into the night, and when darkness fell, they’d turn off the lights to watch their radium samples glow with an eerie blue-green light. Marie later called these “the best and happiest years” of their lives.

After Pierre’s death and Marie’s second Nobel Prize, she finally got a proper laboratory. The Radium Institute (now the Curie Institute) opened in 1914, just before WWI. It became the premier radiation research center in the world, training generations of scientists and developing cancer treatments that save lives today.

The Complete Reading List

Want to dive deeper into Marie Curie books and autobiography? Here’s your essential reading list:

“Madame Curie” by Ève Curie – Written by her daughter, this is the classic biography that shaped public perception of Marie for decades. It’s intimate, moving, and occasionally overly reverential, but essential reading.

“Marie Curie: A Life” by Susan Quinn – More balanced and comprehensive than Ève’s biography, Quinn’s book draws on previously unavailable letters and documents.

“Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout” by Lauren Redniss – Stunning visual biography with hand-drawn illustrations. Later became a film starring Rosamund Pike.

“Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie” by Barbara Goldsmith – Focuses on the psychological aspects of Marie’s character and what drove her relentless pursuit of knowledge.

“The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science” by Dava Sobel (2024) – The newest comprehensive biography, examining Marie’s legacy through the women scientists she inspired.

The Final Chapter: What She Taught Us

Let me bring this full circle. Remember those radioactive notebooks I mentioned at the beginning? They’ll remain radioactive for about 1,500 more years. That’s how deeply Marie Curie’s work is embedded in physical reality—literally.

But her influence goes beyond contaminated paper. Marie Curie’s biography teaches us that:

Barriers are meant to be broken. She wasn’t supposed to attend university. She became a professor. She wasn’t supposed to win a Nobel Prize. She won two. She wasn’t supposed to survive as a widow with two children. She thrived.

Curiosity is its own reward. Marie didn’t discover radioactivity to become famous or wealthy. She discovered it because she was curious about why uranium emitted mysterious rays. The accolades followed the curiosity, not the other way around.

Partnership amplifies genius. Marie Curie’s husband, Pierre Curie, wasn’t threatened by her brilliance—he celebrated it. Their collaboration produced work neither could have accomplished alone.

Sacrifice has costs. Marie’s dedication to science literally killed her. We can honor her sacrifice by ensuring modern researchers have proper safety equipment and protocols.

Science belongs to everyone. Marie and Pierre could have patented their radium isolation process and become fabulously wealthy. Instead, they published their methods freely, believing scientific knowledge should benefit all humanity.

Women belong in science. Period. Full stop. Marie proved it in an era when even saying that aloud was radical.

Your Turn: What Will You Do With This Knowledge?

Here’s my challenge to you: Don’t let Marie Curie’s biography be just another inspirational story you read and forget.

If you’re a woman (or anyone from an underrepresented group) considering a STEM career—remember that Marie Curie faced obstacles you probably won’t face. She succeeded anyway. You can too.

If you’re a teacher—tell the complete story. Include the poverty, the scandal, the struggle. Don’t sanitize her into a safe historical figure. She was complicated, brilliant, and thoroughly human.

If you’re a scientist—remember why you started. Marie Curie didn’t pursue research for fame or fortune. She pursued it because the universe is fascinating and understanding it matters.

If you’re a parent—show your daughters that women can be brilliant scientists. Show your sons that women can be brilliant scientists. Marie Curie’s story should be mandatory viewing.

If you’re just someone trying to navigate a difficult world—take inspiration from her perseverance. She lost her mother at 10, her husband at 38, and she kept going. She faced public scandal and kept going. She knew her work was killing her and kept going.

I’m not saying you should work yourself to death (please don’t). But I am saying that Marie Curie’s life demonstrates what’s possible when you refuse to accept the world’s limitations on who you can be.

The Glow That Never Fades

Marie Curie’s legacy and honors continue to multiply. Every cancer patient who receives radiation therapy benefits from her work. Every student who learns about radioactivity stands on her shoulders. Every woman who pursues a scientific career walks a path she helped clear.

Element 96—Curium—will be around as long as Earth exists. The Curie (Ci), a unit of radioactivity, bears her name. The Marie Curie Actions program provides research funding for scientists across Europe. Schools, streets, hospitals, and research institutes around the world carry her name.

But perhaps her greatest legacy isn’t the discoveries or the awards. It’s the simple, revolutionary idea that a woman’s brain is just as capable of unlocking the universe’s secrets as a man’s.

Marie Curie didn’t just discover radioactivity. She didn’t just win Nobel Prizes. She didn’t just advance science.

She proved that genius has no gender.

And that lesson, more than any scientific discovery, continues to illuminate the path forward.

So, what did you think of Marie Curie’s incredible journey? Her story reminds us that the greatest scientific discoveries often come from the most unexpected places—a poor Polish girl who wasn’t even supposed to attend university.

Want to learn more? Visit the Curie Museum in Paris (virtually if you can’t make it in person), read her daughter’s biography, or simply commit to learning more about the women scientists who changed our world but rarely made it into the textbooks.

Because here’s the truth: Marie Curie’s story isn’t just history. It’s a roadmap for anyone who’s ever been told they don’t belong somewhere. And in 2025, that’s a lesson we all still need to hear.

The universe is still out there, waiting to be understood. Marie Curie showed us that anyone—regardless of gender, nationality, or circumstances—can help us understand it.

Now get out there and prove her right.