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occurrences, but to explain how and why they happened. Notably, there were efforts to improve human lives using new discoveries in biology. For example, advances in the study of bacteria and viruses led to the development of antibiotics and vaccines. These would forever change the landscape of disease. Crippling epidemics of polio and in- fluenza were eradicated by new medicines. Another huge breakthrough came in the field of ge- netics. The idea that people could inherit traits had been around for centuries, but scientists did not know exactly what genes were, or how they affected a person’s develop- ment. In 1953, the chemical structure of DNA (the genetic code within a person) was described. This was a revolution- ary discovery, and let scientists take giant steps forward in genetics. They were able not only to describe why people looked the way they did, but also to use that information to fight deadly diseases such as cancer. It is a basic part of a biologist’s job description to study life and its processes. As they do, they recognize and cele- brate the differences between species or members within a species. If nothing else, these differences pique our curi- osity and spark debate. Why do fish swim and birds fly? How does climate change affect how trees grow? Can cells be manipulated to fight disease or carry medicine? Why are some people tall or short, or have black skin or white? Why are some people athletes or artists, and others are scholars or scientists?

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Black Achievement in Science: Biology