Born on March 19, 1943, in Mexico City, Molina was drawn to science at a young age, converting a bathroom in his home into a makeshift laboratory for his chemistry sets.
A year later, while working with F. Sherwood Rowland of the University of California at Irvine, Molina found that CFCs in the upper atmosphere could be broken down by ultraviolet radiation, releasing chlorine atoms, which destroy ozone molecules.
THANKS Their findings were denounced by industries that rely on CFCs, with one company's executive alleging that the pair's theory was "orchestrated by the Ministry of Disinformation of the KGB."FOR WATCHING