• Question: What atoms are we made of

    Asked by Maggie_for_the_win to Daniel, Hannah, Maggie, Ry, Scott on 13 Nov 2017. This question was also asked by 884grak42.
    • Photo: Hannah Middleton

      Hannah Middleton answered on 13 Nov 2017:

      Humans are mostly made of just a few elements – carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulpher, plus smaller amounts of a few other elements (like calcium in bones, iron in blood to name just a couple).

      Most normal matter in the universe is either hydrogen or helium, the two lightest elements. Heavier elements, like oxygen and carbon are formed in stars. At the end of a stars life, these heavier elements get spread out into space, to form new solar systems, planets and humans! So you really can say we are made of stardust!

    • Photo: Maggie Lieu

      Maggie Lieu answered on 13 Nov 2017:

      We are mostly made of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. So mostly water and some extra bits and bobs

    • Photo: Ry Cutter

      Ry Cutter answered on 14 Nov 2017:

      Hannah’s got it covered!
      It reminds me of a quote by Christopher Hitchens:
      “We’re all stardust, or nuclear waste depending on your analyses”

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