Athena in the Parthenon

While the ancient Greeks may have been mystified by many elements of molecular biology, they would have easily been able to grasp parthenogenesis, a concept rooted in their oldest myths.

Athena, daughter of Zeus, was among the most important of the Greek deities. Her birth was most unusual. Zeus swallowed his first wife Thetis when she became pregnant, fearing a son would steal his throne. He developed a severe headache and his fellow god Hephaestus was good enough to split his head open with an ax. Athena emerged full grown, wearing a suit of armor, from the head of Zeus.

Athena was the patron goddess of Athens, and was associated with everything from warfare and urban development to fertility and weaving. Her animal symbol the owl gives rise to the still current association between owls and wisdom. The Parthenon is the name of the temple of Athena on the Acropolis. Other familiar words associated with Athena include the aegis (her shield) and palladium (from Pallas Athena). NASA's "Project Athena" is a K-12 global weather education