Discover the Top 9 Fun Facts About Trailblazing Biochemist Marie Maynard Daly

1. Yelp for Arteries

If arteries had Yelp reviews, Marie Maynard Daly would be their top food critic: Daly was instrumental in discovering the link between high cholesterol and clogged arteries, forever changing our understanding of the effect diet and nutrition have on the circulatory system. As a bonus, she established a scholarship at Queens College in her father's name to support minority students with a taste for science.
Source => blackhistory.news.columbia.edu

2. Smoke Detective

While many of us are often caught between choosing to live a healthy life and indulging in smokey atmospheres, Marie Maynard Daly had a bone to pick with the smoky concoctions: She was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in chemistry in the United States, focusing her research efforts on the damaging effects of cigarette smoke on the heart and lung circulatory systems, even finding lesions in the lungs of dogs exposed to chronic cigarette smoke.
Source => findingada.com

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=> Fun Facts about Biochemistry

3. Nobel Shout-out

Before tobacco executives were shouting "Thank you for smoking!" from their private jets, Marie Maynard Daly was unraveling the mysteries of DNA and unearthing the dirty secrets of cigarettes: Dr. Daly's pioneering research exposed the detrimental effects of smoking on heart and lung health, while her work on DNA's organization and structure was so vital that it earned a shout-out from Watson and Crick themselves during their Nobel acceptance speech.
Source => medicalnewstoday.com

4. Chemical Romance

Talk about a "chemical romance": Marie Maynard Daly wasn't just mixing potions in her lab; she went on to become the first Black American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry! The real kicker: She made groundbreaking contributions towards understanding cholesterol and high blood pressure, giving future researchers a leg up to investigate atherosclerosis and related health concerns.
Source => sitn.hms.harvard.edu

5. Cake Conundrum

Whoever said "you can't have your cake and eat it too" never met Marie Maynard Daly: Her groundbreaking research connected the dots between cholesterol and heart attacks, revealing that cholesterol isn't just a necessary evil for devouring delicious pastries but also a significant contributor to heart health.
Source => sciencenews.org

6. Breaking Bad Stereotypes

When Marie Maynard Daly wasn't busy breaking bad stereotypes, she was cooking up some electrifying concoctions in the lab to give Mr. White and Pinkman a run for their money: Daly holds the title as the first African American woman to earn a PhD in chemistry in the United States! Her groundbreaking work in biochemistry shed light on the artery-clogging consequences of high cholesterol and inspired a scholarship program for minority science students at Queens College, with her recipe for success combining equal parts education, innovation, and determination.
Source => blog.helix.com

7. Chem-tastic Crusader

If she were a Marvel superhero, she'd be the Chem-tastic Crusader, quashing cancer-causing criminals in a single bound: Marie Maynard Daly, a brilliant African-American chemist, was not only one of the first to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry but also unveiled the dastardly bond between cigarettes and lung cancer with her groundbreaking research.
Source => acs.org

8. Dance of the Amino Acids

Who said chemistry couldn't be heartwarming? Marie Maynard Daly certainly made it so, turning the periodic table into a dancefloor for amino acids and proteins to waltz their way into scientific history: As the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry from Columbia University in 1947, her groundbreaking research on cholesterol production and protein synthesis had a throbbing impact on understanding cardiovascular disease, inspiring countless scientists to follow her beat.
Source => acs.org

9. Chem-keys-try

Marie Maynard Daly tickled the ivories just as elegantly as she tinkered with molecules - it's safe to say she had the right "chem-keys-try": Daly was an accomplished pianist who thought of pursuing a musical career before dedicating her life to science, proving both her love for music and the discipline it provided played a vital role in her remarkable achievements.
Source => hsph.harvard.edu