25 years ago, Harry Kroto discovered a carbon structure he chose to name buckyball, because of its soccer ball shape. However the official name was Fullerene, in honor of the gigantic domes planned by Buckminster Fuller.

Buckminsterfullerene (or buckyball) is a spherical Fullerene molecule with the formula C₆₀. It has a cage-like fused-ring structure which resembles a soccer ball, made of twenty hexagons and twelve pentagons, with a carbon atom at each vertex of each polygon and a bond along each polygon edge.

Buckyball has become a star overnight – it is the logo of modern chemistry, and was even picked as the national molecule of the state of Texas.

Due to its unique features, its strong and stable structure, and the high conductivity, it has become the star of nanotechnology.

In the near future we may enjoy extremely light computers made of fullerene, extra strong batteries, nanorobots to be inserted into the body and fight diseased and maybe even an elevator from earth to space bases using fullerene cables.