Uhlmert

Comes now the story of Uhlmert.

Uhlmert was born with a strong sense of curiosity. When they were young and pursuing an education, they decided to become a scientist. In all of the various fields of science, Uhlmert chose to focus on chemistry.

They worked hard in school and would go on to earn advanced degrees. While Uhlmert struggled to find work as a researcher, eventually they settled and became a professor. The position afforded them time to do research on the side.

Uhlmert’s isle home was often plagued by traffic congestion that would heavily pollute the air around it. The soot from the smog was sometimes so thick that it would tarnish statues and buildings on the densely populated island.

As the isle struggled with the air contamination, Uhlmert decided to help their fellow islanders by coming up with a solution. After years of research and toil, Uhlmert developed an additive that when mixed with fuel, drastically reduced the effect of the thick emissions.The additive was made with highly toxic formulas that, if not added correctly to fuel, could kill someone.

Uhlmert tried desperately to spread the word about their discovery but they were surprised to learn that fellow scientists were not interested. The bulk of research in the community was to find a way to redirect the emissions away from the island. They would not consider preventing the emissions as the scientists felt it could not be done. The few who did take a thoughtful look at Uhlmert’s research deemed that the additive had only been tested on a small scale and they thought a larger application would be impossible. They also felt that it was too dangerous because of the additive’s volatilty. So the science community actively ignored Uhlmert’s work.

The sun visited Uhlmert and told them that they would never be appreciated in their lifetime. They could continue to work to promote their solution but Uhlmert would never see it accepted by their scientific peers. The solution to the emissions problem was just too radical and beyond others’ imagination. Uhlmert took the sun’s words to heart but pressed on.

They wrote a book extolling the necessity of using their product in the fuel. They offered their years of research with statistics to back their claims. Some took note of the book and it sold well. There was coverage by journalists but the media seemed more focused on stoking fear than they did promoting their solution.

There were some who accused Uhlmert of being concerned mostly with making money from the discovery. Uhlmert countered that they would provide the plans and expertise without charge, so long as they adopted it. The survival of the island city was more important to Uhlmert than profiting off their research.

It made no difference. Uhlmert was ignored. Desperate and convinced they were right, Uhlmert set into motion a plan to prove they were right. They took the money from their book sales and spent it on the chemicals necessary to create the additive. Once he had enough of the product manufactured, he would enter a refinery and mix it with a tanker full of fuel. The only way to do so was to mix it directly. Being an experienced chemist, Uhlmert knew it was dangerous and that they could get killed in the mixing process. But they figured the tactic was worth the sacrifice. If the fuel could be used on a larger scale everyone would see that it works, they thought.

Uhlmert wrote down detailed instructions about the additive and how they planned to carry out the guerilla mixing. They also implored other researchers to test the fuel and witness it work.

During the mixing process, Uhlmert breathed in toxic fumes and after fighting its effects, they eventually died.

As their death became covered in the glaring light of the media, scientists decided to test the fuel and, true to Uhlmert’s research, it worked. Using the instructions written before their death, the additive became mass produced and slowly, over many years, the pollution was contained.