7. Tu Youyou
In the 1970s, this pharmaceutical chemist discovered a new malaria treatment and saved millions. With a background in herbal and traditional Chinese medicine, she discovered the use of sweet wormwood as a treatment for intermittent fevers, which commonly occur with malaria. In her research, she discovered a substance called artemisinin, which inhibits malaria. Youyou even offered to be the first human to test the substance. Today, she’s the chief scientist at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her research.
