LEGO has announced the release of a new set called ‘Evolution of Science’, which will go on sale on 1 March 2025. The set pays tribute to three prominent figures from the world of science: Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Isaac Newton and George Washington Carver.
Maria Skłodowska-Curie was a pioneer of radioactivity research and the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields: physics and chemistry. Isaac Newton became primarily famous for the law of universal gravitation, while George Washington Carver was a pioneer in agricultural science and contributed to the development of modern farming methods.
Elements of the ‘Evolution of Science’ set and the controversy surrounding the name
The set includes an open book symbolising the evolution of science, from which miniature models of historic discoveries such as the space shuttle, the DNA strand, the microscope and the carbon atom ‘pop out’. The figurine depicting Marie Skłodowska-Curie is based on a famous photograph of the Nobel Prize winner. The miniature holds a green cup and a block marked ‘Ra’, referring to radium – the element she discovered with her husband. The second element she discovered was polonium, named after her home country.
However, the set’s launch was not without controversy. LEGO faced criticism for labelling the figure solely as ‘Marie Curie’, which is common outside Poland, but omits her maiden name. Marie Skłodowska-Curie used both names throughout her life, as can be seen, for example, on her signatures and Nobel Prize certificate. The Polish and French descriptions of the set included her full name, but the English version left the simplified form. Many internet users commented on the decision on the LEGO website, demanding an improvement in the naming. Critical comments also appeared on social media, including from journalist Patrycjusz Wyżga.
Hey @LEGO_Group! Shame on you! Maria SKŁODOWSKA-Curie, she was Polish! https://t.co/imTawMhnz7
– Patrycjusz Wyżga 🇵🇱 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@patrycjuszwyzga) February 2, 2025
Details of the collector’s model with Maria Skłodowska-Curie
The ‘Evolution of Science’ set is packed with references to key events that have shaped the history of four major fields – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Elements include an apple tree alluding to the story of Newton, a botanical garden commemorating the work of George Washington Carver, the Voyager 1 space probe, a model of the structure of DNA, a spatial, moving model of a carbon atom, a vehicle inspired by early 20th century cars and a computer styled after machines from the 1960s and 1970s. The entire construction is based on a symbolic book representing knowledge, equipped with a crank to move its top parts. In total, the set contains 879 parts and, when assembled, reaches dimensions of 27 cm high, 23 cm wide and 19 cm deep.
Source: notesfrompoland.com, lego.com
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