On December 28, 2015, the music world lost one of its heroes with the passing of legendary Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister at the age of 70. Now, fans have come up with a unique way to remember the fallen icon — they want a real-life heavy metal named after him in the periodic table.
As Time reports, scientists recently discovered four new elements, all of which will be added to the periodic table. While their official names have yet to be decided (and will likely come from the scientists who discovered them), one man has opted for a new heavy metal to be named "Lemmium."
John Wright of York, England, launched a Change.org petition with the hopes that the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry will pay homage to Kilmister with the introduction of Lemmium.
"Lemmy was a force of nature and the very essence of heavy metal," Wright said.
The IUPAC has strict rules about naming elements, specifically that it must be named after "a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist." Wright argues that Lemmy Kilmister meets the naming criteria since a star was already named after him. In other words, the element would be named after the star.
The petition is still in the early stages, though hopefully it'll pick up steam soon. Then we can all go back to school and learn about Lemmium.
As Time reports, scientists recently discovered four new elements, all of which will be added to the periodic table. While their official names have yet to be decided (and will likely come from the scientists who discovered them), one man has opted for a new heavy metal to be named "Lemmium."
John Wright of York, England, launched a Change.org petition with the hopes that the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry will pay homage to Kilmister with the introduction of Lemmium.
"Lemmy was a force of nature and the very essence of heavy metal," Wright said.
The IUPAC has strict rules about naming elements, specifically that it must be named after "a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist." Wright argues that Lemmy Kilmister meets the naming criteria since a star was already named after him. In other words, the element would be named after the star.
The petition is still in the early stages, though hopefully it'll pick up steam soon. Then we can all go back to school and learn about Lemmium.
