Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn't be here if stars hadn't exploded, because the elements– the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution and for life– weren't created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and tthe only...
Published on November 29, 2009 14:23