How can you trace minerals from supernovas to our teeth and bones? Isn’t the calcium that make up our bones produced during our gestation? How is that connected to a supernova from potentially millions of years ago?
In: Biology
The calcium in your skeleton when you were born came from your mother, who got it from food, drink, and maybe supplements. That calcium, in turn, came from plants and animals that got it from their food or from the soil. The calcium in the soil came from rocks and bones. And *that* ultimately was made by a supernova billions of years ago.
See, matter is never created or destroyed. Every atom in the universe has been here since the Big Bang. The calcium in your bones and teeth is made up of atoms that used to be part of something else. Many somethings, in fact. Maybe even a dinosaur at one point. Isn’t that cool?
Latest Answers