Discovery and uses of carbon nanostructures

Scientists discovered and isolated fullerenes accidentally, which led to exciting new possibilities in chemistry. Research into the allotropes of carbon is an important part of chemistry's history, earning multiple Nobel Prizes. Graphene is so thin that it's nearly transparent, allowing most light to pass through. Fullerenes, nanotubes, and graphene have a wide range of real-world uses in fields like electronics and medicine. Scientific discoveries have the power to change the world, even if their significance takes time to be fully understood.