And the only sucky thing about it is that you might not even know it

Jul 12, 2014 23:45 GMT  ·  By
The atoms in the human body originate from stars, make us billions of years old
   The atoms in the human body originate from stars, make us billions of years old

Remember how in “The Wizard of Oz” Dorothy's home got swept away in a cyclone and landed smack in the middle of What on Earth Is this Place (note: it's been a while since I read the book, so you might want to fact-check the actual name of Dorothy's landing site)?

Well, I suggest you go grab some rope and secure your brain, 'cause this is going to be one heck of a ride to the realm of epically cool scientific facts you're probably oblivious to but should definitely know, and mild shocks to the mind are part of the package deal.

What I want to talk to you about is the fact that we, humans, are literally (and I cannot stress the word “literally” enough) made of stars. And as if this piece of information weren't mind-blowing enough on its own, you should also know that we're billions of years old too.

What this means is that, next time you have someone throw you a birthday party, you should definitely ask for a ginormous cake, just so you can fit like a gazillion candles on it and keep things accurate. Bonus: you'll get to OD on chocolate and whipped cream.

Supposing that these few introductory paragraphs have managed to spark your interest, just keep reading to find out what I mean when I say that, as shockingly peculiar as this may sound, we're (apologies for the hippie-like linguistic cliché) one with the universe in a very matter-of-fact kind of way.

Crash Course in Human Anatomy

As you probably know too well, the human body is stunningly complex. On a very obvious level, you have your run-off-the-mill head, neck, trunk and limbs. Then there are the organs, which pretty much keep things going, and are surprisingly good at their job, unless damaged in some way.

Dig deeper and you'll find that all human body parts are made of tissues, which instead are made of all sorts of cells that, although different, behave in similar ways. Go further down the rabbit hole, and you'll find that cells too are just the right kind of complex to boggle the mind.

In a nutshell, human body cells comprise wacky biological structures that perform all sorts of functions and keep things running smoothly. It's once you get to these biological structures, i.e. the membrane, the nucleus, the mitochondria and many others, that things start to get really interesting.

This is because each constituent part of a human cell is made up of molecules, which instead are made up of atoms. To review everything I've said in reverse, atoms form molecules, which instead birth cells, which combine into tissues, which then build organs, which form systems, which lead to you and me.

What I would very much like you to take from this crash course in human anatomy is the fact that, at the most basic of levels, we, humans, are made of atoms. Adorable, tiny atoms that for some reason decided to get together and throw an epic party that not even Hollywood bashes can hope to rival.

So, Where Are These Stars That We Are Made Of?

Mind you, there is no need to reread the previous section. You did miss the part about how teeny tiny stars are part and parcel of our anatomy. It was I who, despite the promise to talk about how we are made of stars, did not say anything even remotely space-related. However, here I am, ready and willing to make amends and hopefully live up to your expectations.

Now, remember when I said that, at the end of the day, were are made of atoms. Well, where do you think these atoms come from? If you're thinking space, go grab yourself a big bowl of ice cream and an even bigger spoon to gulp it down, 'cause you more than deserve a treat.

Since I am nothing if not thorough, allow me to take you back to something that occurred about 13.7 billion years ago, and that scientists like to call the Big Bang. That's right, we're going all the way back to when the universe as we know it came into being.

Scientists tell us that, in its first moment, the universe was dense, unimaginably hot, and contained pure energy. Then the Big Bang came along, and the universe rapidly expanded. The young universe that resulted in the aftermath of the Big Bang contained all the right ingredients for life to eventually form.

Simply put, it contained fundamental particles dubbed leptons, i.e. electrons, neutrinos and their antiparticles, photons, and quarks, antiquarks, and gluons. It is from these elements, which started interacting with one another, that the first atoms eventually came into being.

At first, only the lightest of elements, i.e. hydrogen and helium, emerged. Trace amounts of lithium and beryllium were also present in the early universe, but hydrogen and helium were the two most common elements. When stars started forming from cosmic gas and dust from the Big Bang, others formed.

Studies have shown that stars in the universe work by fusing light elements into heavier ones. They start by fusing hydrogen into helium and, once they run out of fuel, move on to fusing helium into heavier elements like carbon and oxygen.

Massive stars go as far as to fuse carbon into even heavier elements, and foster the formation of elements like nickel, which later decays into iron, are formed. When exploding in supernovas, stars can form elements like gold, platinum and silver, and pretty much spew out the ingredients for life.

The elements that dying stars cough out when exploding end up being part and parcel of molecular clouds, which, in time, can condense under the influence of gravity to form planets like our good old Earth. In the case of our planet, the elements originating from dying stars eventually birthed life.

So, basically, apart from the hydrogen that formed following the Big Bang, all the atoms in the human body are basically stardust. In fact, it is estimated that, judging by mass, our bodies pack about 93% stardust and 7% hydrogen. And the stardust, together with the hydrogen, is billions of years old.

And this is why, at the end of the day, we should give ourselves a pat on the back for the fact that, as separated from the universe as we might sometimes feel, we are, scientifically speaking, part of the cosmos. As is every life form around us, and even the planet we call our home.

I have absolutely no intention to take up any more of your time, but I must insist that, if you feel like it, you check out the video below. It's Neil deGrasse Tyson's account of everything I've just said, and I guarantee it will give you goosebumps and forever change the way you feel about the world and yourself.