Mario Molina’s Achievements: Today marks the 80th birthday of the great chemical specialist, Dr. Mario Molina, who played a vital role in discovering the effects of global warming on Earth.
Today is the 80th birthday of Mexican chemist Dr. Mario Molina. He was born on March 19, 1943, in Mexico City. Dr. Molina received a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and an advanced degree from the University of Freiburg in Germany. After completing his studies, he went to the United States for postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In the early 1970s, Dr. Molina began studying how synthetic chemicals affect the Earth’s atmosphere. He was among the first to discover that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a chemical found in air conditioners, aerosol sprays, and other products, were destroying the ozone layer and causing the purple radiation to reach the Earth’s surface. He and his fellow researchers published their findings in the journal Nature, which later earned them the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
It is said that as a child, Dr. Molina was so passionate about science that he turned his bathroom into a makeshift laboratory. Mario José Molina Henríquez, also known as Mario Molina, was a Mexican chemist who was the first to discover the impact of CFCs on the ozone layer.
