The heaviest metal

Is there a better way to immortalise Lemmy, the Motörhead frontman, than in science class?

Fans of Lemmy Kilmister want one of the newly discovered elements in chemistry's periodic tables to be named after him. Fabian Bimmer / Reuters

Just as the world lost one of heavy metal’s most prominent stars, Motörhead front-man Lemmy Kilmister, scientists discovered four new elements to add to chemistry’s periodic table. With the new elements yet to be named, some Motörhead fans have started a petition calling for one to be named Lemminium. What better name for a heavy element than that of a legend of heavy metal?

The petition – using the slogan “Lemmy was a force of nature and the very essence of heavy metal” – has attracted tens of thousands of signatures. There is an element of humour in this, not just because Lemmy himself disdained the term heavy metal, but also because his legacy speaks for itself and does not need to be forcibly imposed on something he had nothing to do with.

Fans of the late fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett are making a similar claim, wanting another of the elements to be named octarine, which he used to describe “the colour of magic”. We say let those who actually found the new elements decide.