Google Doodle celebrates cancer research pioneer Kamal Ranadive's birthday

Google on Monday celebrated the 104th birthday of Indian cell biologist Dr Kamal Ranadive for her "groundbreaking cancer research and devotion to creating a more equitable society through science and education", by dedicating a special Doodle.

Kamal Samarath, better known as Kamal Ranadive, was born on this day in 1917 in Pune.

The Doodle, illustrated by India-based guest artist Ibrahim Rayintakath, is to honour Ranadive’s dedication to health justice and education that remains influential to her students who work as scientists today, the search engine wrote in a blog post. Ranadive was among the first researchers in India to propose a link between breast cancer and heredity and to identify the links among cancers and certain viruses.

"Ranadive fervently encouraged students and Indian scholars abroad to return to India and put their knowledge to work for their communities. After retiring in 1989, Dr Ranadive worked in rural communities in Maharashtra, training women as healthcare workers and providing health and nutrition education," Google wrote.

Artist Rayintakath revealed that his main source of inspiration was lab aesthetics from the late 20th century and the microscopic world of cells related to leprosy and cancer. "I hope people get curious to learn more about Kamal Ranadive and her contributions to the field of biology," he said.

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