Buckminsterfullerene
In the late 1980s, researchers discovered this new allotrope of carbon. The molecule is known as buckminsterfullerene, named after the scientist and philosopher, R. Buckminster Fuller. The molecule is spherical, shaped like a soccer-ball, and has a formula of C60. Informally, it is called a "bucky ball".
The original evidence came from samples of soot. Recently, findings reveal the molecule even in geological samples formed by the meteor impact that occurred around the time when the dinosaurs became extinct.
The Science World "golf ball" in Vancouver British Columbia is actually a geodesic dome, the design of which was created by American inventor R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983).
Fuller patented 28 inventions in his lifetime; perhaps the most famous is the geodesic dome which was patented on June 29, 1954. One of the most famous geodesic domes in the world was the American pavilion at Expo '67 in Montreal.
