Jean Hanson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Hanson
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| Born |
Emmeline Jean Hanson
14 November 1919 Newhall, Derbyshire, England
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| Died | 10 August 1973 (aged 53) London, England
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| Alma mater | Bedford College, University of London King's College London |
| Known for | Sliding filament theory |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biophysics, Zoology |
| Institutions | King's College London Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Influences | Harold Munro Fox |
Emmeline Jean Hanson (born November 14, 1919 – died August 10, 1973) was a brilliant scientist. She was a biophysicist and zoologist. She is famous for her important work on muscles.
Jean earned her PhD in zoology. Most of her career was at King's College London. She helped start a special science unit there. Later, she became its leader.
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she worked with Hugh Huxley. In 1954, they made a huge discovery. They figured out how muscles move! This idea is called the "sliding filament theory." This was a major breakthrough in understanding muscles. The BBC even nicknamed her "Mrs. Muscle" years later.
Early Life and Education
Jean Hanson was born on November 14, 1919, in Newhall, Derbyshire, England. She was the only child of Tom and Emily Hanson. Both of her parents were school teachers.
Jean's father passed away when she was very young. Her mother raised her and encouraged her love for music and the arts. Jean went to the Girl's High School in Burton upon Trent from 1930 to 1938.
Around age fifteen, she became very interested in biology. She did very well in her final school exams. She got top marks in English, botany (the study of plants), and zoology (the study of animals).
Jean won a scholarship to attend Bedford College, University of London. She started there in 1938. She studied zoology, botany, chemistry, and physiology (how living things work). She graduated in 1941 with top honors in zoology.
Her research was paused during World War II. Bedford College had to move to Cambridge for safety. During this time, she worked on how skin cells develop. From 1944 to 1948, she taught zoology.
Discovering Muscle Movement
Jean Hanson joined King's College London in 1948. She worked in a new department focused on biophysics. This is a field that uses physics to understand living things. She was invited to set up the biology section there.
She focused her research on muscle fibers. In 1951, she earned her PhD. In 1953, Jean traveled to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. She had a special fellowship to work there for a year.
At MIT, she teamed up with another English scientist, Hugh Huxley. Together, they made their famous discovery: the "sliding filament theory." This theory explains how muscles contract and relax.
Their findings were published in the science journal Nature in May 1954. This paper became a landmark in muscle physiology. They showed clear evidence using electron microscopy. This allowed them to see tiny details of how muscle fibers slide past each other.
Even with strong evidence, some scientists did not immediately accept the theory. At a science meeting in 1960, some argued against it. Jean Hanson famously said, "I know I cannot explain the mechanism yet, but the sliding is a fact."
After their work in the US, Jean and Hugh decided to focus on different areas of muscle research. Jean chose to study muscles in invertebrate animals (animals without backbones).
In 1966, she became a full Professor of Biology at King's College. In 1970, she became the Director of the Biophysics Unit. She led the unit until her death in 1973.
Honours and Personal Life
Jean Hanson was recognized for her amazing contributions to science. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1967. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
Jean was known for being kind and helpful. She was very different from some other scientists who were known for arguing. She was always willing to help younger researchers. Everyone called her 'Jean'. She never even used her first name, Emmeline, in her scientific papers.
Hugh Huxley noted that their research areas could have caused problems. But Jean chose to focus on invertebrate animals. This helped avoid conflicts between their work at different institutes. Huxley admired her sensible and modest decision.
Jean Hanson passed away in London on August 10, 1973. She died from a rare brain infection.
