When we think about the building blocks of our bodies, we often think about the various cells that constitute it. But that’s not the extent of it, not even close. If you dig deeper, you will find that even a tiny cell is made up of trillions of atoms.
It is estimated that there are tens of trillions of cells in the human body. So, you can only imagine how many total atoms we are all made up of. The number is just too big to even try and think about. All that inside a single human.
We rarely think about our bodies in terms of it’s chemical composition but when we do, it opens up an entirely different way of looking at life and I dare say, that it is quite beautiful.
Did you know that almost 99% of our body’s mass is made up of only six elements? These are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus. But that’s not the interesting part at all. The surprising thing is that these elements that make up our bodies, were made inside stars!
We Are Cosmic Soup
There are about 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe and each contains hundreds of billions of stars. Many of these stars serve as the nuclear furnaces to forge several elements.
Bigger stars, that are orders of magnitude larger than our sun, are able to manufacture even the more heavier elements in their core. When these stars die, they explode into some of the universe’s most violent explosions, known as Supernova.
During this phenomena, all those elements inside the star is scattered throughout the surrounding of those exploding stars. The elements that we are made of also came from such explosions. Beautiful isn’t it? One star dying and making life possible.
If you think about it, our bodies are just cosmic soup, with ingredients taken from all over the cosmos and finding their way into one single human body.
An Inter-Galactic Soup?
It is such an eye-opening realisation that ancient stars in our Milky Way galaxy could have kickstarted the process of origination of life on Earth millions or perhaps billions of years ago.
But a new study takes this one step further and claims that half of the atoms in our bodies may have come from outside the Milky Way, travelling across vast distances in space thanks to galactic winds.
The team at the Northwestern University also said that supernovas occurring in one galaxy can be powerful enough that the expelled atoms could easily escape their galaxy’s gravity and find a new home in another one.
These trillions of tons of atoms could then give birth to planets and asteroids and the lighter elements like hydrogen and helium could give birth to stars even, starting the process of forging the elements all over again.
A Phenomenal Existence
Often at times I think about how tiny we are compared to everything that’s out there. It might make one feel as though they are meaningless in the face of the entire existence.
But then considering that we are made up of the very things that also make up other things in the universe, is quite phenomenal. I am reminded of what Carl Sagan famously had said about this.
“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.”
Excellent :)
Thanks!! :)
The universe is such a mysterious thing and I am kind of happy that it is. Someday we will most likely know far more about our universe, and at that time the thrill of mystery will be gone.
The nearby planets are the next frontier and we have so much more to learn about our surroundings.
@ronni
Yeah, that is so true. It literally seems infinite right now and we understand so little of it. Each news brings a lot of excitement with it and I only wonder what it would be like to become a true space faring civilisation.
haha I'm not even half an atom when I compare myself with the universe!
Thanks for the read! :)
Yeah, too tiny yet a phenomenal existence :)
Great shared info my friend.
Thanks for reading :)
Excellent post sauravrunta!
Thank you :)
A am convinced that life came from inanimate matter, because we are made from the same basic chemical elements
Yes exactly.
@sautavrungta el ser humano es la mayor creación que hay en este mundo, y a su vez el más destructivo, no tiene limites siempre esta en constante cambio de adquirir nuevos conocimientos, algunos para el bien otros para mal.....
Indeed, human body is a wonderful creation. Thanks for reading :)
You meant: a product of evolution? :-)
I liked the title....and I always loved your blogs....but bit sleepy now....so will read it when I wake up, commenting so that it will be easy to find out this post....haha
Thanks for the kind words :)
If you step in primal soup, please wipe it from your shoes.
haha!!
"The wind is free, but the sand goes where it is blown. Unaware of the world around it. Whirling on the breath of the Gods, at the mercy of the storm that engulfs it. What is one grain of sand in the desert? One grain amongst the storm?"
Those are some truly wise words! I was under the impression that you knew nothing Jon Snow!! ;)
Cosmic soup lol i like it.
hehe thanks :)
We are atoms from the stars and I do love that feeling. Thanks for the reminder
Yeah, I love that feeling as well. Thanks for reading :)
The universe is the most beautiful 'thing' i have ever seen. It is also the most scary to think about. Ever dreamed about drifting in space? Maybe i watch too many movies. Great article anyway, thanks!
Yeah, it is truly wonderful. Yes, I often think about drifting in space. I am not scared of the feeling. I think it would be quite peaceful really. :)
Wonderful article. What intrigues me is 1) how intricate our bodies are. Subsets within subset within 1,000, 000 subsets. Also 2) how we are from stars outside the milky way. What does that say? For me it says that we come from the heavens and there is a God entity out there that must have made us. How big and powerful he is and how small yet intricate we are. Amazing! Thanks for sharing. - Troy
Yeah, the realisation really forces you to think, doesn't it? Everything looks so intricately designed. Just beautiful :)
Very interesting. There is a lot going on that is closed off to society.
Yeah, that is true.
Indeed, as Carl Sagan said: we are all made of stardust. :)
Indeed. So true :)
That's why it would be nearly impossible if there was no life out there in the space...
Yes, it's a totally valid reason in my opinion too.
great article...
I'm an astrophysicist and it's so hard for me to explain this to people, from now on I'll just show them your article :)
Upvoted, resteemed :)
Thank you for the kind words! I hope they finally 'get it' after reading this haha!
Excellent, simply excellent. Such eloquence at describing complicated issues with an easily digested manner.
Thanks for those really kind words :)