Apparently, it's the 25th anniversary of the discovery of the Buckminsterfullerine, otherwise called the Buckyball!
Named for Richard Buckminster Fuller, after his famed geodesic domes, the Buckyball was first prepared in 1985 by Harold Kroto, James Heath, Sean O'Brien, Robert Curl and Richard Smalley at Rice University. Kroto, Curl and Smalley were awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the discovery of both Buckyballs specifically, and the overall category of compounds called fullerines.
Fullerines, particuarly Buckyballs, are very resiliant due to their shape -- potential uses for this unique shape range from nanotechnology (carbon nanotubes are widely considered the 'spark' that may begin a new Industrial Revolution) to medicine (where a Buckyball could conceivably be used to 'carry' antibiotics to specific cells, such as certain types of melanoma).
Happy birthday, fullerines!
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
