We believe there’s a superhero in each of us. True Superheroes celebrates people who’ve overcome adversity, made amazing contributions to society, and inspired others to do the same. Each week we nominate people in different fields. This week we focus on biologists.
Mario Capecchi
Born into a wealthy, accomplished family in Verona, Italy, Mario Capecchi seemed destined for a comfortable, successful life. Then, when he was two years old, World War II erupted around him. By the time Mario was five, he was homeless and destitute, fending for himself on war-ravaged streets. He would go on to not just survive, but develop techniques that would revolutionize our understanding of the human genome.
Tu Youyou contracted tuberculosis as a teenager and spent years recuperating instead of attending school. She resolved to study medicine to help others avoid similar problems, but her work eventually led her to fight malaria, not TB. Under tremendous political pressure, she sacrificed her family life and her own health in her battle against the disease, and succeeded in creating antimalarial drugs that have saved tens of millions of lives.
SPYSCAPE'S NEWEST PODCAST Major Hollywood storytellers and top international spies break down what we see on screen, to separate the fact from the fiction and shine a light on extraordinary characters and skills. Hosted by Rory Bremner.
As a young boy, James Allison lost his mother to cancer, swiftly followed by two of his uncles. He devoted himself to fighting the disease, but his belief that the answers lay within the body’s immune system put him at loggerheads with the scientific community. His determination and perseverance changed that consensus, while he developed drugs that have treated a million cancer patients, and inspired his colleagues to make amazing discoveries of their own.
