For her dedication in the field of marine biology, Google celebrates the discoveries of Spanish scientist María de los Ángeles Alvariño González. Read on to know more about what she has done
There are people who leave the world with an unforgettable story and there are those who leave with discoveries that open the door for science and innovation. Spanish marine biologist María de los Ángeles Alvariño González has done both. Throughout her lifetime, she was able to discover 22 new species of zooplankton and published more than 100 scientific papers.
For her dedication and hard work, Google honoured Alvariño on her 105th birthday last Sunday, October 3, 2021. Google also named her as one of the “widely regarded as one of the most important Spanish scientists of all time.
In 1952, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) acknowledged her prowess and appointed her as a marine biologist. At that time, the decision of including her in the roster of scientists was crucial for men were the only ones accepted at the institute.
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A British Council Fellowship allowed her to study zooplankton including jellyfish in the Marine Laboratory in Plymouth, England. That fellowship "resulted in her becoming the first woman to work as a scientist aboard a British research vessel," Google stated.
For her hard work and extraordinary skills, two planktonic species have been named after her, the chaetognath Aidanosagitta alvarinoae (Pathansali, 1974) and the hydromedusa Lizzia alvarinoae (Segura, 1980).
She was also a member of three prestigious science organisations like the American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists and of San Diego Society of Natural History, and Biological Society of Washington and the Hispano-American Association of Researchers on Marine Sciences.
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