Stardust by John Gribbin, Allen Lane, £18.99, ISBN
0713993367
AT THE dawn of the Universe—well, three minutes after the big
bang—the only two chemical elements around were hydrogen and helium. As a
human being, you’ll realise that things have changed. Carbon, oxygen and
nitrogen have been added to the chemical mix that forms our living, watery
bodies, while a clutch more elements produced planet Earth.
Exactly how were these elements made, what determines their proportions, and
what mechanism scattered them? And how has the content of the Universe’s
chemical store cupboard changed with time?
Today, 99 per cent…
