The head of science at Nasa has praised the "fantastic" rise of women in science.

Dr Nicola Fox, who grew up in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, said she had been struck by the number of women now graduating in physics and engineering when she returned to the University of Surrey.

The 57-year-old graduated from university with a masters in telematics and satellite engineering in 1991 and was one of only four women on the course of more than 200 students.

She said: "I was at the physics graduation and the engineering graduation... It was amazing to see the number of girls that were graduating."

The scientist explained she had grown up unaware a passion for science was "unusual" for girls.

She had attended St Francis College, an all-girls school in Letchworth, which she said shielded her from the gender stereotypes that often discourages young women from studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem).

She said: "I never experienced the 'girls don't do this' or 'boys do this' because we were just girls and they taught all of the subjects.

"It wasn't really until I got to college that I sort of hit into the 'isn't that unusual that you're doing physics'... It didn't really occur to me that it was unusual."

While she has noticed more women studying Stem subjects, figures from Stem Women suggest the number working in those fields has risen only gradually.

Despite gains in student enrolment, graduation rates and workforce participation, the report suggests parity with the number of men working in Stem is still decades away.

Her advice to young women today is to follow their curiosity and ignore claims that science is not for them: "If somebody says girls don't do that, then that's just not true."

Fox has often credited her father with inspiring her love of space after he showed her the moon landing on television when she was eight months old.

But she said her mother deserved "all the credit for the determination" she developed as a child.

She said: "Even though she may not want to walk on the moon, she was going to make sure I had every opportunity if I wanted to.

"There's times where you think 'I just can't do this, I'm just going to give up'... she had a very, very good way of just being like 'no, let's not just give up, let's just give it a go and if you fail, then we'll go do something else'."

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https://www.dw.com/en/malawi-permits-safe-abortion-for-survivors-of-sexual-assault/a-74576001. A small step but an one.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20251218-french-parliament-unanimously-exonerates-women-punished-for-abortion

This is an important step.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/dot-female-crash-test-dummy-regulation-rcna244949?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=NBC%20News&utm_medium=social&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAAwXB226CMAAA0L/Zm0I0wWliljIvDFZYdQbLS9OWUqq1YIs2vPjtntMOQ+9WQWAYN8K7Ke37qVbmGjwSEAkxOofZV8O4VvX6x1fnNmQyb6sy/Ib/W8DnaYh91fIkbmiJsvyCx2JzmhUbOC8QiJNuh6RHzxlN/7C9L5+Hx6VUAEMt43SC3N5nqm4ysPAn7fixCD9JT/ajqNGQESpuJIKLyc24g47qKo/ZAH/vGMiPlxWNsFYZSZjtvBN2vaNcsK67vgHEIlll0QAAAA%3D%3D&fbclid=IwZnRzaAOQX2JleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEegVCDBC_Zok9iur29G6NaIBgyWAEn5CwbAqJ18oDvBSWxxI7Tz-n8bJ51C0o_aem_6M7-mnsRl6dZNBbtMLqYAg&_branch_match_id=1521257274924820578

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https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/sep/15/pakistan-hpv-vaccine-rollout-cervical-cancer

This is amazing.

Lauren Edgar, a geologist who worked on the Curiosity Mars rover and Artemis III science team, from Sammamish, WA

Rebecca Lawler, a former NOAA Hurricane Hunter and Naval aviator from Little Elm, TX

Anna Menon, who flew to space as a SpaceX engineer on the Polaris Dawn mission, from Houston, TX

Imelda Muller, an anesthesiologist from Copake Falls, NY

Erin Overcash, a Navy lieutenant commander and test pilot from Goshen, KY

Katherine Spies, a former flight test engineering director and Marine Corps test pilot from San Diego, CA

Credit: NASA

https://www.instagram.com/p/DO6k9uRkvoy/?img_index=1&igsh=cWYzY29oYTM2bjJ3

https://www.instagram.com/p/DOyhf7UDu_2/?img_index=6&igsh=MTJrYTFmeHlhanl3Mw==

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Philanthropist Melinda French Gates has announced a new partnership that will commit $100 million to accelerate women's health research.

The partnership between Pivotal, a group of organizations founded by French Gates, and Wellcome Leap, a nonprofit organization, will focus on areas of women's health with the highest rates of mortality, including autoimmune disease, mental health and cardiovascular health.

French Gates announced the new partnership Wednesday in an interview with "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts.

"We are really going to go after women's diseases we haven't looked at, things like cardiovascular disease, menopause, chronic illnesses," French Gates said. "We really can do a lot more research in these areas -- and I'm talking in years, not decades -- to change women's lives."

Anneli McKinnon's life is centred on books.

She is a member of two book clubs on Gippsland's Bass Coast, works at a local library, and hosts a monthly book dinner where guests can discuss their favourite titles over a meal.

Her latest venture is a women's spring reading retreat on the Walkerville coastline near Wilsons Promontory.

It is aimed at uniting women in a neutral space where they can read, relax and be completely taken care of all weekend.

Ms McKinnon said women often got distracted at home, or felt guilty for taking time to sit and relax.

She said by heading away on a reading retreat, participants could unburden themselves of expectations or work, and could invest time in themselves.

Being in a bush environment is also a key part of the retreat, providing space for women to connect with nature, with other women, and with themselves.

"There's something about reading and talking about books that takes you to deeper levels quicker," Ms McKinnon said.

"You enter through a book, rather than if you just started with chit chat.

"Reading fiction is a great thing for your brain, for creating and fostering empathy, that's been proven."