What​ ​are​ ​you​ ​made​ ​of?​
You’re​ ​made​ ​of matter,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​made​ ​of​ ​molecules,​ ​which are​ ​made​ ​of​ ​atoms.​
But​ ​where​ ​did​ ​those atoms​ ​come​ ​from?​ ​The​ ​ones​ ​in​ ​you!​ ​How were​ ​they​ ​formed?​
Well,​ ​they​ ​were​ ​created inside​ ​of​ ​stars!​ ​Really,​ ​you’re​ ​made​ ​of​ ​star stuff!
Life​ ​needs​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​different​ ​kinds​ ​of​ ​atoms to​ ​exist,​ ​like​ ​hydrogen,​ ​carbon​ ​and​ ​oxygen,
but​ ​when​ ​the​ ​Universe​ ​began​ ​there​ ​was​ ​only hydrogen​ ​and​ ​helium:​ ​the​ ​very,​ ​very​ ​simplest atoms​ ​of​ ​all...
...and​ ​nothing​ ​else. Where​ ​did​ ​the others​ ​come​ ​from,​ ​then?
Well,​ ​there’s​ ​only one​ ​thing​ ​capable​ ​of​ ​creating​ ​bigger,​ ​more complex​ ​atoms:​ ​Stars!
Stars​ ​are​ ​born​ ​when​ ​clouds​ ​of​ ​dust​ ​and gas​ ​become​ ​very,​ ​very​ ​small​ ​due​ ​to​ ​the​ ​force of​ ​gravity.​
So​ ​small​ ​that​ ​the​ ​atoms​ ​in​ ​them don’t​ ​have​ ​enough​ ​room​ ​anymore,​
getting extremely​ ​squeezed​ ​together​ ​and​ ​everything starts​ ​to​ ​heat​ ​up.
The​ ​temperature​ ​gets​ ​so incredibly ​high,​
​that​ ​the​ ​smaller​ ​and​ ​simpler atoms​ ​are​ ​transformed​ ​into​ ​bigger​ ​and​ ​more complex​ ​ones
–​ ​in​ ​a​ ​chain​ ​reaction​ ​called nuclear​ ​fusion.
The​ ​​iron​ ​in​ ​your​ ​blood,​ ​the​ ​calcium​ ​in your​ ​bones​ ​and​ ​the​ ​carbon​ ​in​ ​your​ ​muscles
were​ ​created​ ​in​ ​stars​ ​across​ ​the​ ​Universe.
Stars​ ​that​ ​died​ ​and​ ​left​ ​dust​ ​and​ ​gas​ ​full​ ​of the​ ​new​ ​elements​ ​to​ ​eventually​ ​form​ ​other stars,​ ​planets​ ​and​ ​life.
Our​ ​Sun​ ​is,​ ​at​ ​least, a​ ​second-generation​ ​star.​
Which​ ​means that​ ​all​ ​the​ ​atoms​ ​in​ ​our​ ​Solar​ ​System​ ​were created​ ​in​ ​an​ ​older​ ​star.
But​ ​how​ ​and​ ​where​ ​did​ ​those​ ​atoms​ ​form the​ ​molecules ​ ​that​ ​ultimately​ ​became​ ​you​...
...​and every​ ​living​ ​thing​ ​that​ ​ever​ ​existed?
Well,​ ​no one​ ​knows​ ​yet,​ ​but​ ​ALMA​ ​might​ ​be​ ​a​ ​great help​ ​to​ ​find​ ​it​ ​out.
Large​ ​molecules,​ ​the​ ​ones​ ​that​ ​could​ ​be the​ ​building​ ​blocks​ ​of​ ​life,​
can​ ​only​ ​exist​ ​in dark​ ​and​ ​cold​ ​places​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Universe, places​ ​very​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​study​ ​through​ ​visible light.​
But​ ​ALMA​ ​can​ ​see​ ​the​ ​faint​ ​radio​ ​light emitted​ ​by​ ​the​ ​coldest​ ​things​ ​in​ ​Space.​
And it​ ​can​ ​peer​ ​through​ ​those​ ​dark​ ​clouds where​ ​stars​ ​and​ ​planets​ ​are​ ​born​ ​and, maybe,​
discover​ ​where​ ​and​ ​when​ ​the​ ​first building​ ​blocks​ ​of​ ​life​ ​are​ ​created​ ​–
answering​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​greatest​ ​questions​ ​of mankind.
​​Studying​ ​theses​ ​atoms​ ​and​ ​molecules​ ​is,​ ​in a​ ​way,​ ​like​ ​studying​ ​yourself.​
So,​ ​next​ ​time you​ ​think​ ​astronomy​ ​is​ ​the​ ​study​ ​of​ ​things​ ​that are​ ​far​ ​away​ ​and​ ​unrelated​ ​to​ ​you,​ ​remember,
we​ ​are​ ​all​ ​made​ ​of​ ​stardust!
Transcribed by ESO. Translated by -