In mathematics and science, there is no difference in the

The words of Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Nobel laureate and seeker of life’s hidden patterns, ring with the clarity of both reason and revelation: “In mathematics and science, there is no difference in the intelligence of men and women. The difference in genes between men and women is simply the Y chromosome, which has nothing to do with intelligence.” In these words, we hear not merely the voice of a scientist, but the call of truth against centuries of falsehood. Her declaration is both shield and sword — defending the dignity of women and cutting through the myths that have chained half of humankind to silence.

For ages, society has whispered a lie — that intelligence is the dominion of men, that reason and logic are their inheritance, while intuition and feeling belong to women. This falsehood has been written in books, spoken in courts, and carved into the very architecture of our institutions. But nature itself denies such deceit. The wise know that the mind is not bound by gender, and that the flame of intelligence burns wherever curiosity finds fuel. The Y chromosome, that slender thread of difference, governs no spark of wisdom, no light of understanding, no power of creation. It is but a small mark of form, not the measure of the soul.

Look to the life of Marie Curie, who, though born into a world that doubted her, broke open the secrets of the atom and the unseen energies of the universe. In the dim light of her Paris laboratory, she endured hunger, exhaustion, and skepticism — yet her spirit never wavered. She became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice, in two different sciences. Did the heavens measure her worth by her chromosomes? No. They measured her by the radiance of her mind, by her courage to see beyond what others believed possible. Her triumph was not feminine nor masculine — it was human.

In the temple of knowledge, there are no walls marked “for men” or “for women.” The laws of mathematics, the harmony of science, the symmetry of truth — these welcome all who seek with an open heart and a disciplined mind. The stars do not ask the sex of the astronomer who maps them. The molecules do not ask the gender of the chemist who studies them. The universe is vast and impartial; it reveals its secrets only to those who listen deeply. And in that vastness, every soul is equal, every intellect sacred.

Yet even today, shadows linger. Many young women still doubt their worth, taught by culture’s whisper that they are “not suited” for numbers or logic. To them, this teaching must go forth like fire: your intelligence is divine and unbroken. No chromosome can limit the infinity within you. If ever you feel unworthy, remember that the same elements that shape the stars flow through your veins. The cosmos did not create you lesser; it made you capable of wonder, discovery, and greatness.

The lesson is clear: judge no mind by its gender. Celebrate brilliance wherever it blooms — in a boy’s eager question, in a girl’s quiet experiment, in the spark of discovery that belongs to all humankind. Teachers, parents, and mentors must become guardians of equality, tearing down the barriers of expectation. Let them speak often and truly that intelligence knows no gender, that passion and perseverance, not chromosomes, define the scientist, the mathematician, the thinker.

So, to those who seek truth — men and women alike — remember this: your mind is your compass, and its measure lies in curiosity, not in chromosomes. Do not let ancient prejudice dim your flame. Stand tall in the pursuit of knowledge, for wisdom favors the humble, the diligent, the fearless. In honoring equality, you honor truth itself. And as Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard teaches us, when we see that the difference in genes means nothing beside the power of the mind, then — and only then — we rise to the fullness of what it means to be human.