There are some realizations that send you into the deepest of thoughts. You begin to question everything, from reality to your place in it. It is these realizations that serve as your excuse to disconnect from the monotony of daily life.
Today, I read an article that made me think long and hard about who we are in the most fundamental sense. I feel like most people don't even spend a minute of their time thinking about all of this.
But when you find out that your bones are made out of exploded stars, it really does stop you in your tracks and make you think about it. How could it not? At first sight, it feels like a bizarre thing.
It's often said that truth is stranger than fiction. And that applies here too. Scientists have actually confirmed that your bones, your teeth all contain calcium that came from supernovas.
Born From The Stars
You might have heard one of Carl Sagan's most popular quotes, "The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself." This is exactly what scientists have confirmed.
Recently, they observed a supernova just 10 hours after a star exploded. If you didn't already know, some stars explode ferociously into a supernova where an immense amount of energy and matter is released.
One of the elements that are released is Calcium. Scientists say that after a supernova explosion happens, it goes on to cool itself. It does so by giving away its energy and through calcium emission.
Ultimately, this calcium finds its way into planets like ours. When life began developing, that calcium became part of the organisms' bones and teeth and the rest is history. So, the next time you brush your teeth or see your bones in an X-ray image, know that the calcium in it probably came from an exploding star. How cool is that?