The hydrogen in our bodies, present in every molecule of water, came
from the Big Bang There are no other appreciable sources of hydrogen in the
universe. The carbon in our bodies was made by nuclear fusion in the interior
of stars, as was the oxygen. Much of the iron in our bodies was made during
supernovas of stars that occurred long ago and far away. The gold in our
jewelry was likely made from neutron stars during collisions that may have been
visible as short-duration gamma-=ray bursts. Elements like phosphorus and
copper are present in our bodies only in small amounts but are essential to the
functioning of all known life. This periodic table is color coded to indicate
humanity’s best guess as to the nuclear origin all known elements. The sites of
nuclear creations of some elements, such as copper, are not really well known
and are continuing topics of observational and computational research.
