Dorothy Hodgkin: Mapping the Molecules of Life

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin solved the structures of penicillin, vitamin B12, and insulin by X-ray crystallography. The B12 solution took eight years of hand computation and won her the 1964 chemistry Nobel Prize. She taught a future prime minister and campaigned for peace. The insulin structure took 34 years, a patience few scientists can match..

.

Back to Blog