conv.

All stories
ScienceQuiet 10d · day 10

NASA APOD explores the cosmic origins of elements in human bodies

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day explains how hydrogen from the Big Bang, stellar fusion, and supernovae created the elements that make up all life.

newest coverage 10d agosummary written 10d ago5 pieces29 likes & upvotes1 comments NewswiresMastodonGoogle NewsBluesky

What to know

  • NASA's APOD explains that all hydrogen in human bodies originated from the Big Bang, with no other appreciable sources in the universe.
  • Carbon, oxygen, and other elements were created through stellar processes: fusion in stars and explosions in supernovae and neutron star collisions.
  • The periodic table presented is color-coded by nuclear origin, though the creation sites of some elements like copper remain active research topics.

“The gold in your jewelry was likely made from neutron stars during collisions that may have been visible as short-duration gamma-ray bursts or gravitational wave events.”

NASA · NASA APOD · Sep 13

NASA Publisher of APOD content

NASA APOD explores the cosmic origins of elements in human bodies
science.nasa.gov

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 4 pieces in 3h at Sep 13, 11 PM; 5 pieces over 10 days (3 articles · 2 posts) Sep 13, 11 PM — 4 pieces · 3 articles · 1 post — Newswires 2, Google News 1, Mastodon 1Sep 14, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Sep 14, 5 AM — quietSep 14, 8 AM — quietSep 14, 11 AM — quietSep 14, 2 PM — quietSep 14, 5 PM — quietSep 14, 8 PM — quietSep 14, 11 PM — quietSep 15, 2 AM — quietSep 15, 5 AM — quietSep 15, 8 AM — quietSep 15, 11 AM — quietSep 15, 2 PM — quietSep 15, 5 PM — quietSep 15, 8 PM — quietSep 15, 11 PM — quietSep 16, 2 AM — quietSep 16, 5 AM — quietSep 16, 8 AM — quietSep 16, 11 AM — quietSep 16, 2 PM — quietSep 16, 5 PM — quietSep 16, 8 PM — quietSep 16, 11 PM — quietSep 17, 2 AM — quietSep 17, 5 AM — quietSep 17, 8 AM — quietSep 17, 11 AM — quietSep 17, 2 PM — quietSep 17, 5 PM — quietSep 17, 8 PM — quietSep 17, 11 PM — quietSep 18, 2 AM — quietSep 18, 5 AM — quietSep 18, 8 AM — quietSep 18, 11 AM — quietSep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 11 PM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 5 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 11 AM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quiet 1–2
Sep 14Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22now · 6:44 AM ET
  1. 2

    Mastodon user shares wonder at Big Bang hydrogen connection

    A user on Mastodon responds to the APOD article, expressing awe at learning that the hydrogen in their body originated from the Big Bang.

    “I kinda knew this, but it still blows my mind: "The hydrogen in your body and present in every molecule of water came from the Big Bang."”
    — juliette@mastodon.green
    • astronomybot.bsky.social

      Astronomy Picture Of the Day - APOD Title: Where Your Elements Came From Date: 2026-09-14 #APOD #NASA

      astronomybot.bsky.socialBluesky10d ago29▲view on Bluesky ↗
    1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
    • juliette@mastodon.green

      I kinda knew this, but it still blows my mind: "The hydrogen in your body and present in every molecule of water came from the Big Bang." From today's APOD: https:// science.nasa.gov/image-article /apod-2026-september-14-where-your-elements-came-from/

      juliette@mastodon.greenMastodon10d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  2. 1

    NASA publishes APOD explaining elemental origins in human bodies

    NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day features a color-coded periodic table explaining where the chemical elements that make up human bodies originated. The article traces hydrogen to the Big Bang, carbon and oxygen to stellar fusion, iron to supernovae, and gold to neutron star collisions.

    “The hydrogen in your body and present in every molecule of water came from the Big Bang. There are no other appreciable sources of hydrogen in the universe.”
    — NASA

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets APOD: 2026 September 14 - Where Your Elements Came From

    first by Mirage News, 10d ago · also NASA

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 2 · verbatim