• Final Remarks

    • As can be clearly seen from this talk, stars and their evolution drive biological evolution, on Earth and anywhere else in the Universe where life may have arose!

      • The C from which we are based was manufactured in an ancient red giant star over 5 billion years ago.

      • Mutations of the DNA molecule can result from the bombardment of high energy cosmic rays on the surface of the Earth. These cosmic rays are generated in supernova explosions.

    • In summation, nuclear processes in the stars, directly through cosmic rays and indirectly through the creation of C and other heavy elements, produce variations in the biological population which allow natural selection, coupled with the Sun's energy, to drive biological evolution.

    • Hence, to quote Dr. Carl Sagan: We are star stuff!

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