Google Doodle honors Eunice Newton Foote, an influential figure in science and women's rights. But did you know about her inspiring story and remarkable contributions to climate science?
Although physicist John Tyndall is often credited with discovering the greenhouse effect, Eunice Newton Foote Foote's work on the subject was presented to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1856, two years before Tyndall's investigations, according to New Scientist.
Foote's experiments on how various gases, including carbon dioxide, reacted to sunlight were described in the study, serving as a female scientist's first documented physics essay. She wisely deduced that the main component of carbonic acid gas, carbon dioxide, had the most significant heating impact when exposed to the sun. Foote went one step further, hypothesizing that the Earth would experience a more substantial temperature in a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere.
The fact that Foote's study was presented through the Smithsonian Institution's secretary, Joseph Henry, may have contributed to the lack of widespread understanding of the importance of her results at the time. Henry subsequently observed that, despite the importance and fascination of Foote's experiments, it might take a lot of work to determine their relevance.
Fascination For Gases
Foote, a Connecticut native who was born in 1819, studied at the Troy Female Seminary in New York, a place that promoted female students' participation in chemistry classes and scientific lectures, according to NDTV. Her adolescent years saw a blossoming of her passion for science, which would go on to inspire her incredible path of ground-breaking achievements.
Foote's interest drove her to look into how various gases were affected by sunshine in the early 1850s. She conducted trials using glass bell jars holding different gasses and found that the carbon dioxide cylinders heated the most when exposed to the sun.
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According to her ground-breaking insight, Foote was the first scientist to make the crucial connection between growing carbon dioxide levels and the warming of the Earth's atmosphere, per The Independent. Her research was presented to the scientific world in a publication titled "Circumstances Affecting the Heat of the Sun's Rays," which also sparked more research and experimentation on the greenhouse gas effect.
A Champion of Women's Rights
Aside from her scientific contributions, Foote passionately campaigned for women's rights, as she campaigned for women's equality alongside Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
The Declaration of Sentiments, a historic document that urged women to have equal rights in society and the law, was signed by Eunice Newton Foote as the sixth signatory. Her commitment to women's rights proved that her field of influence went beyond science and included the search for beauty, truth, and utility.
Foote maintained her physics study, diving into studies on atmospheric static electricity, despite her limited participation in scientific research after her ground-breaking discoveries in 1856.
Foote pursued several patents, including one for a thermostatically controlled cooking burner, in addition to her scientific endeavors.
Unfortunately, Foote's scientific achievements were mainly overlooked for many years. Her insights weren't uncovered until after she passed away in 1888, reigniting interest in her substantial contributions.
Eunice Newton Foote's life honors women in science and gender equality. The world will honor her contributions to global understanding and social justice acknowledged for years.
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