On 7 November 1867, in Warsaw, Maria Skłodowska is born, the woman the world will know as Marie Curie. She is the youngest of five children of two teachers. In 1903 she wins the Nobel Prize in Physics, together with her husband Pierre and Henri Becquerel, for the study of radioactivity. In 1911 she wins a second one, in Chemistry, for the discovery of radium and polonium. She is the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize, the first person to win two, and still today the only one awarded in two different scientific fields.
Behind a career like this there is, among other things, a curiosity that never fades. But what is curiosity, for science? In 2015 Celeste Kidd and Benjamin Hayden, in the journal Neuron, offered an overview. They write that curiosity is a basic element of our cognition, but that its biological function, its mechanisms and its neural underpinnings remain poorly understood. It is nonetheless a motivator for learning, it influences decision-making and it is crucial for healthy development. The authors also suggest not getting lost in the search for a perfect definition, but looking at the motivations behind information-seeking.
A few cautions. This is a perspective article, that is a review and a proposal for research, not an experiment: it does not show that Marie Curie’s curiosity explains her results, nor that curiosity can be “trained” with a specific method. The link with her story is ours. I read the abstract and not the full paper.
What can we do with it? These are our own common-sense ideas, not findings of the study. Today allow yourself one extra question about something you do not know, and instead of dismissing it right away, look for the answer calmly. You can keep a notebook of the questions that come to mind during the day, and choose just one to explore over the weekend.
And you, what is the last thing that made you curious enough to go and look for the answer? Tell us in the comments: I am curious to read your questions.
Sources
- Kidd, C., Hayden, B. Y. (2015), “The Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity”, Neuron 88(3), 449-460. DOI 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.010
- “Marie Curie”, Italian Wikipedia entry (accessed 2 November 2026)
The contents of this blog are for information only and do not replace the advice of a doctor or psychologist.
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