Google on Friday (September 17, 2021) dedicated a special doodle to mark the 133rd birth anniversary of Japanese biochemist Michiyo Tsujimura. Tsujimura is a popular name in the world of science due to her ground-breaking research on the nutritional benefits of green tea. The doodle features a graphical representation of Tsujimura working in her laboratory with a cup of green tea, beaker and some green tea leaves by the side. Sharing the doodle on Twitter, Google posted, "For Japanese educator & biochemist Michiyo Tsujimura, scientific advancement was her cup of tea." Take a look at the post:
Also Read: What Is the Best Time To Drink Green Tea?
Born in 1888 in Okegawa, Japan, Michiyo Tsujimura spent her early days in career teaching science. It was in 1920 when she decided to chase her dream of becoming a scientist at Hokkaido Imperial University. A few years later, she went to Tokyo Imperial University, where she began her research on green tea, alongside Dr. Umetaro Suzuki - the man famed for his discovery of vitamin B1.
"Their joint research revealed that green tea contained significant amounts of vitamin C-the first of many yet unknown molecular compounds in green tea that awaited under the microscope. In 1929, she isolated catechin-a bitter ingredient of tea. Then, the next year she isolated tannin, an even more bitter compound. These findings formed the foundation for her doctoral thesis, "On the Chemical Components of Green Tea" when she graduated as Japan's first woman doctor of agriculture in 1932," reads Google's official page.
That's not all. She was also the first Dean of the Faculty of Home Economics at Tokyo Women's Higher Normal School in 1950. After enjoying an accomplished career, Dr Michiyo Tsujimura passed away on June 1, 1969, at the age of 80.