Google celebrates the 155th birthday of genetics pioneer Nettie Stevens in new Doodle

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 7 (UPI) -- Google is celebrating what would have been the 155th birthday of noted geneticist Nettie Stevens with a new Doodle.

The Doodle features the pioneering scientist sitting at a desk and studying a microscope which reveals her most groundbreaking discovery -- the existence of the X and Y chromosomes that combine to determine gender.

As Google notes, Stevens' breakthrough led to the XY sex-determination system which is now taught "in classrooms around the world."

Also of note is Stevens' determination to become a geneticist, growing up in an era in the 1800s where job opportunities for women were limited. Stevens studied at Stanford University and got her PhD from Bryn Mawr College where the bulk of her X and Y research was conducted.

Stevens died of breast cancer in 1912 at the age of 50 but will always be remembered for her groundbreaking discovery.