You Are a Star (In More Ways Than One)

THE MOLECULES you're made of were made in a sun. That sun (or star) lived a full sun life — a billion, two billion, maybe five billion years — and then at the end of its life it went supernova and exploded, creating a huge cloud of stardust. We know this because the heavy elements existing in such abundance on earth are created in the nuclear furnace of a star.

The dust accumulated, pieces drawn together by their own gravity, and eventually settled into our solar system as we know it.

Not only is all life on earth star stuff, but you are solar powered. The energy from the sun is captured by plants and then converted by you into energy.

And the evolutionary path that led to us was further helped by another star's supernova explosion which created another vast dust cloud filled with radiation. Our solar system passed through that radiation cloud and it caused massive mutations in the early life forms on earth, leading life into new directions, one of which led to you.

You are made up of an old star. You are fueled by a star. Your genetic evolution was crucially influenced by a star.

And when you die, you will become star dust.