Google, on Sunday, celebrated the 80th birthday of Mexican chemist Mario Molina with its iconic homepage Doodle.
Born on March 19, 1943, Molina was an influential figure who made it his mission to make the world aware of the depleting ozone layer and its after-effects.
The Doodle also alludes to his contributions in this field, with one 'O' of 'Google' being written as O3, which is the molecular composition of ozone, while the other 'O' has been replaced with a picture of the sun.
While the word 'Google' is written on the backdrop of a night sky, the picture also depicts the earth and the ozone layer that envelops it. On the earth, there are pictures of a refrigerator and an aerosol can with arrows pointing upwards, indicating that such items release cholofluorocarbons (CFCs) into the atmosphere. CFCs are one of the chief causes of ozone layer depletion.
It was Molina, along with some of his colleagues, who published a research paper in the science journal Nature that proved how CFCs deplete ozone. This research paper would go on to fetch them a Nobel Prize in chemistry.
It was his research that became a foundation for the international pact known as the Montreal Protocol. This treaty, which banned the production of several ozone-depleting chemicals, is now considered one of the most important environmental pacts ever signed by the international community.