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I love prehistory. As a kid, I watched a couple of documentaries that gave various explanations as to how our world, or even universe, began. Recently, I encountered the phrase "human beings are made of star dust." I was perplexed, but it reminded me of something that I heard from one of those old documentaries I saw when I was younger. According to Kawaguchi (2019), 'The Greek Philosopher Anaxagoras (500-428 BCE) asserted that the seeds of life are present everywhere in the universe. He coined the term panspermia to describe the concept as life traveling between planet as seed." Other people, both before and way after Anaxagoras, came to similar conclusions. As of late, the hypothesis was "modified and revived," (Abstract). According to Kaufman (2026), panspermia is "the sharing of life via meteorites from one planet to another, or delivery by comet." The idea has been "quickly dismissed" in the past, but it seems to be receiving more credence as of late (para. 6). Panspermia could "possibly" occur "even between solar systems." It is even thought that life from Mars could've "seeded" Earth with life "if it existed," (para. 7). There are even scientists at MIT trying to create an "instrument" that can be sent to Mars to "detect DNA or more primitive RNA," (para. 8).
Evidence has already been found to Steigerwald (2020) said that "Scientists from Japan and NASA have confirmed the presence in meteorites of a key organic molecule which may have been used to build other organic molecules, including some used by life," (para. 1). This molecule is called "hexamethylenetetramine (HMT)." This molecule has been theorized to be an important element in the "formation of organic compounds in interstellar environments." Scientists in 2020 have discovered this molecule "in three different carbon-rich meteorites," (para. 3). Dr. Oba, one of the scientists who discovered HMT in the meteorites, said that, when HMT is "'heated with liquid water inside asteroids,'" it creates ammonia and formaldehyde. Those two latter molecules help to create "'amino acids and sugars.'" Usually, ammonia and formaldehyde incinerate in high temperatures inside meteorites. HMT can handle high temperatures, and helps to sustain the creation of ammonia and formaldehyde inside meteorites (para. 4). Dr. Galvin, who was part of the study, said that the HMT in the meteors examined in the study are "'extraterrestrial in origin,'" (para. 9).
This is a great segue to talk about another subject: star dust. As noted previously, I heard that humans are said to have been made of stardust. It sounds like a metaphor, but it seems to be a fact! According to the American Museum of Natural History, "Every atom of oxygen in our lungs, or carbon in our muscles, of calcium in our bones, of iron in our blood - was created inside a star before Earth was born," (AMNH, We Are Stardust, para. 1). The Big Bang created hydrogen and helium, but the "other, heavier, elements were produced inside stars," (para. 2-3). Stars produce the "heavy elements by fusion in their cores," and then they "can mix into the star's atmosphere and be spread into space through stellar winds," (para. 4). Supernovas, when a "massive star" explodes, help to create and transport heavy elements as well (para. 5). The combination of stellar winds, and supernovas, help to create "interstellar clouds." These clouds produce other stars and planets, such as the sun and Earth (para. 6). We'll come back to this later.
NASA also says that humans, along with other fauna and flora, are made up of matter found inside of stars that existed before the sun and planets (NASA, ASTROBIOLOGY at NASA, 1.1. Are we really made of star stuff?, Story [slide 1; slide 2 para. 1]). Even the sun is creating "new kinds of matter inside of it from the other" matter inside (Story [slide 2, para. 2]). Lotzof (n. d.) quotes Dr. King who said that "The first stars that formed after the Big Bang were greater than 50 times the size of our Sun," (The first generation of stars, para. 3). Inside those stars, as stated by Dr. King, "'nucleosynthesis'" takes place. This is when the elements are made (para. 4). When those stars died during a supernova, new stars were born (para. 5). Each generation of stars created certain elements (para. 5-7). Dr. King said that "'It's totally 100 percent true - nearly all the elements in the human body were made in a star and may have come through several supernovas,'" (para. 8).
This is a great segue to talk about another subject: star dust. As noted previously, I heard that humans are said to have been made of stardust. It sounds like a metaphor, but it seems to be a fact! According to the American Museum of Natural History, "Every atom of oxygen in our lungs, or carbon in our muscles, of calcium in our bones, of iron in our blood - was created inside a star before Earth was born," (AMNH, We Are Stardust, para. 1). The Big Bang created hydrogen and helium, but the "other, heavier, elements were produced inside stars," (para. 2-3). Stars produce the "heavy elements by fusion in their cores," and then they "can mix into the star's atmosphere and be spread into space through stellar winds," (para. 4). Supernovas, when a "massive star" explodes, help to create and transport heavy elements as well (para. 5). The combination of stellar winds, and supernovas, help to create "interstellar clouds." These clouds produce other stars and planets, such as the sun and Earth (para. 6). We'll come back to this later.
NASA also says that humans, along with other fauna and flora, are made up of matter found inside of stars that existed before the sun and planets (NASA, ASTROBIOLOGY at NASA, 1.1. Are we really made of star stuff?, Story [slide 1; slide 2 para. 1]). Even the sun is creating "new kinds of matter inside of it from the other" matter inside (Story [slide 2, para. 2]). Lotzof (n. d.) quotes Dr. King who said that "The first stars that formed after the Big Bang were greater than 50 times the size of our Sun," (The first generation of stars, para. 3). Inside those stars, as stated by Dr. King, "'nucleosynthesis'" takes place. This is when the elements are made (para. 4). When those stars died during a supernova, new stars were born (para. 5). Each generation of stars created certain elements (para. 5-7). Dr. King said that "'It's totally 100 percent true - nearly all the elements in the human body were made in a star and may have come through several supernovas,'" (para. 8).
So, the elements for making organic life seem to have originated in space. In fact, they originated in stars that existed before the sun and planets existed! This brings me to what I wanted to mention a couple of paragraphs ago. I've come to the conclusion that the sun, Earth's moon, and other planets are the gods and goddesses of our religions. I also have to talk about astrology. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, astrology is the "type of divination that involves the forecasting of earthly and human events through the observation and interpretation of the fixed stars, the Sun, Moon, and the planets." It is thought that the "planets and stars" could "influence" people, events, etc. on Earth (Gilbert, 2026, Astrology, para. 1). The zodiac, "12 constellations around the sky" that determine the positions of the sun, moon, and planets, are also used in astrology to help predict the "outcome of an event (most notably, someone's birth)," (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Zodiac, para. 1). However, "Astrology is not supported by science" because "No correlation has been found between birth dates and personality and intelligence." Despite that, astrology is "widespread," (Astrology, para. 1). Now, I have used scientific evidence a LOT on this blog, and it has helped me to find out what is true and what isn't. Surprisingly, I don't believe that astrology doesn't have any value. In fact, I believe that it might be the link between humans and religion. I think that the sun, moon, and planets could affect human beings because we are made of the same elements as they are. I have read the sources from scientific institutions that we are made of stardust, so why wouldn't the stars be able to affect us in some capacity?
Also, I've used myself as a guinea pig of sorts for about a year now while researching astrology. Honestly, the information that I've accumulated has been astounding as to how my personality can be explained by astrology. If the sun, moon, and the planets are the deities of our religions, and we are made of stardust like they are, then wouldn't that be more evidence of human beings being gods? For me, I would say yes. Humanity has always been interested in space. I wonder why? Maybe something inside of us wants to go back to where our physical bodies originated from? Maybe the catalyst is in our psyche, while our spirits and souls want us to find their home in the unseen world? Perhaps, in order to get the complete story of humanity's origins and the divine, we have to go outside the box a bit? So far, the story has been a wild one!
Also, I've used myself as a guinea pig of sorts for about a year now while researching astrology. Honestly, the information that I've accumulated has been astounding as to how my personality can be explained by astrology. If the sun, moon, and the planets are the deities of our religions, and we are made of stardust like they are, then wouldn't that be more evidence of human beings being gods? For me, I would say yes. Humanity has always been interested in space. I wonder why? Maybe something inside of us wants to go back to where our physical bodies originated from? Maybe the catalyst is in our psyche, while our spirits and souls want us to find their home in the unseen world? Perhaps, in order to get the complete story of humanity's origins and the divine, we have to go outside the box a bit? So far, the story has been a wild one!
Links:
Harvey and Choi (2022):
Kawaguchi (2019) (Abstract):https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019asbi.book..419K/abstract
Kaufman (2026):
https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/in-search-of-panspermia/
Steigerwald (2020):
https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/key-building-block-for-organic-molecules-discovered-in-meteorites/
AMNH. We Are Stardust:
https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/the-universe/stars/a-spectacular-stellar-finale/we-are-stardust
NASA. ASTROBIOLOGY at NASA. 1.1. Are we really made of star stuff?:
https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/education/alp/are-we-really-made-of-star-stuff/
Lotzof (n. d.) (Retrieved on 6/20/26):
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/are-we-really-made-of-stardust.html
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Gilbert (2026). Astrology:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/astrology
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Zodiac:
