8. Where do the elements come from?

Abstract

To understand where the chemical elements came from, we look at the earliest moments of the universe. ‘Where do the elements come from?’ traces the evolution of all the matter and energy in the universe, starting from a fraction of a second after its birth in the ‘Big Bang’, 13.8 billion years ago. The light elements, for example the hydrogen atoms in your body, were made in the Big Bang. The middleweight elements, such as carbon and oxygen, were (and still are being) forged deep inside stars, while the heavyweight elements, like gold and platinum, were produced in violent stellar explosions. The life cycles of stars, including supernovae, neutron stars, and pulsars is outlined.