Marie Curie is Greater Than the X-Men

“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” —Marie Curie The trouble is that Marie Curie is positively captivating. I’m not alone in thinking so; Hank Green of vlogbrothers fame agrees with me. Luckily, what interests the vlogbrothers have tends to spread across the internet like slime mold (which is much better than […]

"Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas." --Marie Curie

The trouble is that Marie Curie is positively captivating. I'm not alone in thinking so; Hank Green of vlogbrothers fame agrees with me. Luckily, what interests the vlogbrothers have tends to spread across the internet like slime mold (which is much better than it sounds).

"Popular culture has not yet designed a female superhero that was more badass than the actual Marie Curie." --Hank Green

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4jCTiGSuwU[/youtube]

But the internet is a funny place. Netizens are suckers for novelty and notoriously forgetful, so even though she's been featured on GeekMom several times, it serves us well to frequently remind the world that when it comes to life and science, women can make "something out of nothing." Especially those of us who are as resolute of purpose as Marie Curie:

"I have no dress except the one I wear every day. If you are going to be kind enough to give me [a wedding dress], please let it be practical and dark so that I can put it on afterwards to go to the laboratory." --Marie Curie

She was also Altruistic:

"...each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity..."

And dauntless:

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood."

And in all likelihood, as the woman so profoundly down-to-earth that she had both of her Nobel prizes melted down and put to better use than simply serving to remind people of her excellence, Marie Curie would probably disapprove of any hero-worship we might perform in her honor. In spite of how radically her accomplishments changed our world for the better, I wouldn't be surprised if Marie Curie's most persistent message is that women's work - by women's work, of course I mean science - is never finished.

"One never notices what has been done; one only sees what remains to be done." --Marie Curie

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vTRrZU-LKQ[/youtube]