June Almeida: The Woman Who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus But Got Little Recognition.
June Almeida’s name often sparks curiosity. Known for her pioneering electron microscopy techniques and identifying the first human coronavirus, her life story is one of extraordinary ingenuity, resilience, and societal skepticism toward women without formal degrees in science.
Who Is June Almeida?
June Almeida (née Hart) was a Scottish virologist who revolutionized virus imaging and identification through electron microscopy. Born on October 5, 1930, in Glasgow, Scotland, to a bus driver father and homemaker mother, she grew up in modest circumstances in the city’s northeast. Excelling academically, she won a scholarship to secondary school but left at age 16 due to financial constraints, forgoing university. She began as a histopathology lab technician at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, honing skills in microscopy.
In 1954, she married Venezuelan artist Enriques Almeida and moved to London, joining St. Thomas’ Hospital Medical School. There, she developed negative staining—a technique using heavy metals to enhance virus visibility under electron microscopes. Recruited to Canada in 1964 by the Ontario Cancer Institute, she imaged viruses like rubella and hepatitis B. Returning to the UK in 1967, she worked at the Postgraduate Medical School (later Imperial College) and St. Thomas’, collaborating on HIV identification in the 1980s. After retiring, she advised on virus imaging and taught yoga.
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The Coronavirus Discovery.
Between 1964 and 1966, June Almeida’s expertise extended beyond routine laboratory work when she imaged and identified the first human coronavirus. At St. Thomas’ Hospital, she worked with researcher David Tyrrell, who sent her nasal samples from a Surrey schoolboy with a cold (strain B814).
Standard methods failed to grow the virus, but Almeida’s electron microscopy revealed particles surrounded by a halo of spikes, similar to those seen in mouse hepatitis and avian bronchitis. Realizing their significance, Almeida, Tyrrell, and Tony Waterson named the new group “coronavirus” and published their findings in Nature in 1968. Her earlier 1966 paper, however, was rejected by a journal that dismissed her images as “just bad pictures of influenza.”
Almeida persisted, refining her techniques and continuing to collaborate with colleagues to confirm the virus’s novelty. Her determination laid the foundation for understanding a new family of viruses. Decades later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, her work was finally recognized, drawing attention to her groundbreaking contributions and to the many overlooked women in science.
When Talent Defied Tradition.
June Almeida believed the initial rejection of her work and the lack of recognition stemmed from deep flaws in how scientific institutions valued credentials and gender. Dismissed early in her career as a mere technician without a doctorate, she found that assumptions about her limited expertise persisted, leading many to view her breakthroughs as technical support rather than original research.
She also saw how systemic biases distorted credit within science. The apparent simplicity of her electron microscope images made it easy for others to overlook the skill and insight behind them, reinforcing the idea that major discoveries were male-led. Almeida argued that class and education barriers further discouraged recognition of self-taught scientists, leaving many unable to grasp that a school-leaver had pioneered one of virology’s most important imaging techniques.
The Barriers Behind the Breakthroughs.
For June Almeida, her talent was both a gift and a burden. Despite groundbreaking discoveries, she often felt undervalued due to her lack of formal qualifications, working in under-resourced laboratories and even emigrating to pursue better opportunities.
As noted in her obituaries, her divorce in 1982 and retirement in 1985 came with little recognition for her achievements, forcing her to fight not only against viruses but also against the erasure faced by women in a field dominated by credentialed men. Her story reveals the broader struggles of working-class women in STEM who innovate outside traditional academic paths.
Legacy and Lasting Impact.
June Almeida’s life reminds us of the importance of inclusive recognition and accessible education in science. Her coronavirus discovery serves as a cautionary tale about dismissing unconventional experts too quickly.
She continues to inspire through her techniques, still used in virus diagnostics, and posthumous honors like the 2020 BBC profile and 2023 bioMérieux article. Through collaborations on HIV and other viruses, she proves expertise isn’t just about degrees—it’s about enduring skepticism with grace.
Her accolades, including an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University (1992) and membership in the Royal College of Pathologists, underscore her impact. Almeida published over 100 papers, taught at the Wellcome Research Laboratory, and her work featured in documentaries like “The Woman Who Discovered the Coronavirus.” She tied her research to global health, emphasizing imaging’s role in pandemics.
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What Can We Learn?
The story of June Almeida is more than a virologist’s anecdote. It challenges us to rethink how we approach credentials, gender equity, and innovation in science. Are we nurturing talents from all backgrounds capable of seeing beyond formal barriers? Or are we limiting potential by clinging to outdated hierarchies?
