It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Nobel Laureate and co discoverer of buckyballs Richard Smalley.
In recent years, Smalley had moved on from fullerenes and debating the feasibility of Drexlerian nanotechnologies, concentrating instead on the search for technological solutions to the global energy problem, and the environmental impact of nanotechnologies, founding CBEN (Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology).
While fullerenes are still searching for that killer application, it may be that Smalleys work in these two other areas will be his more enduring legacy.