Early Life and Education
Where was Dorothy Hodgkin born?
a. England b. Poland c. Cairo
c. Cairo
Dorothy Hodgkin was born in Cairo on May 12, 1910. At the time, her father, John Winter Crowfoot was both working in the Egyptian Education Service and as an archaeologist.
How many girls were allowed in Dorothy Hodgkin's first chemistry class?
a. 2 b. 5 c. 7
a. 2
Dorothy Hodgkin was one of only two girls allowed to join her chemistry class. At the time, most girls were only allowed to take domestic focused classes, such as cooking and sewing.
What is penicillin and why is it important?
a. A type of cell that transports oxygen through the blood
b. A type of antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections
c. A special type of ibuprofen
b. A type of antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections
Penicillins are a group of antibacterial drugs that are used to attack bacteria in the body. Penicillins were the first type of antibiotics used, and they work by bursting the cell walls of bacteria. Penicillin causes the water concentration of the fluid surrounding the bacteria to become higher than it is inside it, which then causes water to rush through holes in the cell, making the bacteria burst. Hodgkin's discovery was essential to allowing the creation of penicillin in large amounts, making it available for widespread use.
In what field did Dorothy Hodgkin win the Nobel Prize?
a. Peace b. Physics c. Chemistry
c. Chemistry
Dorothy Hodgkin won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1964 "for her determinations by x-ray techniques of structures of important biochemical substances." These biochemical substances were primarily penicillin and Vitamin B12.
How long did it take Dorothy Hodgkin to resolve the complete structure of insulin?
a. 3 years b. 5 years c. 34 years
c. 34 years
Dorothy Hodgkin worked to uncover the structure of insulin for over three decades. When she first started in the 1930s, x-ray crystallography technology was not advanced enough to uncover the full structure. Only when Hodgkin revisited her work in the 1960s could she fully compute the structure.
What passion did Dorothy Hodgkin almost give up chemistry to pursue?
a. Astrophysics b. Archaeology c. Neuroscience
b. Archaeology
Both of Dorothy Hodgkin's parents worked in archaeology for some of their lives. During her time between school and university, Hodgkin spent time with her parents excavating at Jerash (a city in Jordan) where she also drew mosaic pavements. She enjoyed this time so much that she considered giving up chemistry for a career in archaeology.
At what age was Dorothy Hodgkin diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis?
a. 24 b. 35 c. 52
a. 24
Hodgkin was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the young age of 28. After a few weeks of treatment, she came back to her work only to find that her hands had been so affected that she could no longer use the x-ray equipment needed for her experiments. In response, she had a special switch installed that allowed her to continue her work, make groundbreaking discoveries, and win numerous awards. During the later stages of her career, she began using a wheelchair after walking became too painful, but this never seemed to slow her down.
What is x-ray crystallography used for?
a. to find hidden tumors in bones
b. to determine the origins of a particular crystal
c. to determine the 3D molecular structure of a crystal
c. to determine the 3D molecular structure of crystals
X-ray crystallography involves shining x-rays through crystals and analyzing the pattern the x-rays make as they bounce off atoms. This technique uncovers the arrangement of the atoms, which helps to determine their molecular structure.
What award for science (other than the Nobel Prize) did Dorothy Hodgkin win in 1976?
a. National Medal of Science b. Fields Medal c. Copley Medal
c. Copley Medal
Dorothy Hodgkin won the Copley Medal in 1976 for her work uncovering the structures of penicillin, vitamin B12, and insulin. The Copley Medal has been awarded annually for the past 291 years by the Royal Society for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science."
What event prompted Dorothy Hodgkin to start trying to uncover the structure of penicillin?
a. World War II b. The diagnosis of her disability c. Her decision to go to medical school
a. World War II
Hodgkin was drawn into the study of penicillin at the beginning of World War II when she became aware of the urgent and secret mission to improve antibiotics during the war. One way to do this was through determining the structure of penicillin. She wrote that she was “irresistibly drawn to inject myself into the situation.” She finished uncovering the structure in 1945, right at the end of the war.
At what age did Dorothy become interested in chemistry?
a. 3 b. 7 c. 10
c. 10
Dorothy Hodgkin became interested in chemistry when she was 10 years old visiting Sudan. Her interest was encouraged by a friend of her parents, Dr. A. F. Joseph, who gave her chemicals and helped her study the mineral ilmenite. Additionally, back in England, Hodgkin attended science classes run by the Parents National Educational Union that taught material beyond mainstream schools. In chemistry class, Hodgkin made solutions of alum and copper sulfate, which formed crystals. Seeing the crystals, Dorothy announced “I was captured for life by chemistry and by crystals.”
What percent of Nobel Prizes in the field of science have been awarded to women?
a. 1% b. 3% c. 10%
b. 3%
Since the Nobel Prize was first awarded in 1901, just under 3% of all medals awarded in the field of science have gone to women. In fact, in 2021, not one woman won a Nobel prize in STEM; they were all awarded to men.
How many atoms did Dorothy Hodgkin reveal that Vitamin B12 has?
a. 50 b. 500 c. Over 1,000
c. Over 1,000
Dorothy Hodgkin figured out that Vitamin B12 contains over 1,000 atoms. This number stood in heavy contrast to her previous discovery that penicillin had 39 atoms and was a much larger number than that of any other compound whose structure was determined with x-ray crystallography. Vitamin B12 is now known to have the most complex structure of any vitamin
What world-renowned society was Dorothy Hodgkin elected to for her discovery of penicillin's structure?
a. International Chemistry Society b. The Royal Society c. British Honor Society
b. The Royal Society
In 1947, Hodgkin was made a fellow of the Royal Society, the world's oldest scientific academy, "dedicated to promoting excellence in science for the benefit of humanity." Once again, Hodgkin was one of the few women who was awarded this honor, with the first woman coming just two years before her in 1945.
Which British prime minister was one of Hodgkin's former students?
a. Winston Churchill b. Margaret Thatcher c. Theresa May
b. Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain's first female prime minister was once one of Dorothy Hodgkin's graduate students. Thatcher often sought both scientific and political advice from Hodgkin who was both a social and political activist as well as being a scientist.
After secondary school, where did Dorothy Hodgkin continue studying chemistry?
a. University of Oxford b. University of London c. University of Edinburgh
a. University of Oxford
Dorothy studied at Somerville College, University of Oxford from 1928-1932. She once wrote, "It was part of my father’s plan for me that I should be educated in the same way as a son, and therefore go to Oxford University.” During her time at Oxford, she briefly combined her studies of chemistry and archaeology, studying glass tesserae (small pieces of glass used to create mosaics). She also joined a special class on crystallography and later decided to specialize in x-Ray crystallography in particular.
How many British women have won the Nobel Prize in a science category?
a. 1 b. 2 c. 3
a. 1
Dorothy Hodgkin is the only British woman in the Nobel Prize's 121 year history to have won the Nobel prize in science.
Dorothy Hodgkin discovered the complete structure of insulin using x-ray crystallography. What is insulin and why is it important?
a. Insulin is a compound that helps with brain function
b. Insulin is a special type of white blood cell that helps fight infection
c. Insulin is a protein produced in the pancreas that regulates metabolism
c. Insulin is a protein produced in the pancreas that regulates metabolism
Insulin is a big, intricate protein that is key to regulating blood sugar in the body. When people eat food, it breaks down into glucose. When glucose enters the blood stream, it signals the pancreas to release insulin. The insulin helps the blood sugar enter the body’s cells to be used for energy. However, if the pancreas pumps out too much insulin, over time, the cells can become insulin resistant, causing the pancreas to pump out even more insulin.
When this happens, the body's blood sugar keeps rising, and the pancreas can't keep up, which can cause type 2 diabetes. With her discovery of insulin's structure, Hodgkin paved the way for the mass production of insulin to be used as a treatment for people with diabetes.
What honor was Dorothy Hodgkin awarded with in 1965, the year after her Nobel Prize?
a. The Distinguished Service Order
b. The Order of Merit
c. The Royal Victorian Order
b. The Order of Merit
One of the numerous honors awarded to Dorothy Hodgkin was the Order of Merit. The award is the highest honor in Britain for any achievement in science, the arts, or public life.
Besides archaeology, what was Dorothy Hodgkin's mother's other job?
a. Physician b. College Professor c. Botanist
c. Botanist
Dorothy Hodgkin's mother, Grace Mary Crowfoot, also worked as a botanist. In her spare time, she drew illustrations to the official Flora of the Sudan.
Where did Hodgkin move after graduating her first college to complete her PhD?
a. University of Bristol b. University of Cambridge c. University of Manchester
b. University of Cambridge
In 1932, Hodgkin moved to Cambridge to work toward her PhD with John Desmond Bernal, an expert in x-ray crystallography. Hodgkin completed her PhD extremely quickly, in only two years, after which she took a two year research fellowship offered to her by Somerville College. The fellowship involved working one year at Cambridge and then one at Oxford.
How many women have won the Copley Medal?
a. 1 b. 2 c. 3
b. 2
Since its inception in 1731, only two women have ever won the Copley Medal. The first was Dorothy Hodgkin in 1976, and the second one was Jocelyn Bell Burnell in 2021.
What does Vitamin B12 do in the body and why is it important?
a. It is a water-soluble vitamin that helps the body form red blood cells
b. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps maintain healthy bones
c. Known as the "sunshine vitamin," it helps the body absorb calcium
a. It is a water-soluble vitamin that helps the body form red blood cells
Vitamin B12 is essential to regulating metabolism and maintaining the central nervous system. It is naturally found in many animal products, such as meat and dairy. Hodgkin's discovery of vitamin B12's structure was groundbreaking because it allowed for the treatment of anemia, which is a potentially fatal condition caused by vitamin B12 deficiency.
What American academy was Hodgkin elected to in 1958?
a. American Academy of Arts and Sciences
b. American Chemist Academy
c. Science of Academy of the United States of America
a. American Academy of Arts and Sciences
In 1956, Hodgkin was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Boston. This society was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by founding fathers like John Adams and James Baldwin among others. Now it works on "Honoring excellence and leadership. Working across disciplines and divides. Advancing the common good."
Why didn't people believe Dorothy Hodgkin when she claimed to have uncovered the structure of penicillin?
a. They claimed x-ray crystallography was too new of a method
b. She claimed penicillin was made up of an arrangement previously believed to be too unstable to exist
c. She was a woman
All of the above
Hodgkin said that penicillin had an atomic core with 3 carbon atoms and 1 nitrogen atom which were all in a square-shaped ring. Prior to her discovery, this structure was believed to be too unstable to exist. However, now it is know as a β-lactam ring, and it is part of what makes penicillin so special. Combined with the fact that Hodgkin was a woman who was using the new technique of x-ray crystallography, Hodgkin's unprecedented findings caused her to face an abundance of criticisms.