Redefining Reality - The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science

The universe does not seem like the sort of place where life would
be likely. Stars turn hydrogen into helium in relative isolation.
But in their centers, they also create heavier elements that become
dispersed when they implode, forming planets like Earth. The young Earth
Because life requires a consistent source of energy, particularly the light of
the Sun for photosynthesis, the presumption has been that life arose from
the shallow waters near landmasses. But recent discoveries of thriving
ecosystems at the bottom of the ocean have led some to speculate that life
began in the deep.
Hydrogen is simple enough that once the universe cooled down
convert hydrogen into helium through nuclear fusion.
The idea here is that energy is the currency of the physical
world, and it takes less energy to maintain a helium atom than
it does to maintain two hydrogen atoms.
The energy the hydrogen atoms save by becoming helium is
given off in the forms of light and heat; this is why stars shine.
join together, fusing into larger atoms, with more and more protons
saving energy by sharing a single nucleus. But eventually, the nuclei
get so large that adding more protons costs energy. The elemental
point of diminishing returns is iron. Atoms larger than iron are more
expensive to maintain in terms of energy than the combination of
smaller atoms.
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