In the beginning...

The Origins:

The Origins o f life, the universe, and everything. The Answer is not 42. It’s the Big Bang.

13.7 Billion Years ago:

13.7 Billion Years ago

So there was this huge explosion…:

Matter coalesced – Protons, neutrons, e lectrons, and some other stuff we won’t worry about. Some of these particles joined up and formed hydrogen atoms Some of the hydrogen atoms joined up and formed stars Some of these stars joined up and formed galaxies So there was this huge explosion…

But how? Did they use match.com?:

There’s this sweet stuff called gravity: Everything with mass is attracted to everything else with mass More mass = more gravity More distance = less gravity So bits of matter that are near each other are attracted to each other, and so it was with the particles and hydrogen atoms and stars. But how ? Did they use match.com?

The very first stars:

Were really, really super hot. The hot hydrogen atoms vibrate and bounce around like kids on sugar. Some of the hyper hydrogen atoms collide, and fusion starts! Hydrogen atoms fuse in to Helium, then Carbon etc. Fusion takes a lot of energy to start, but releases even more! This is what fuels a star- how it “burns” The very first stars

Then what happened?:

After a few billion years, the hydrogen is all f’used up. The star begins fusing other elements that got made from the hydrogen. Eventually, the star begins making Iron. Iron is the kiss of death for a star Very heavy and dense amount of gravity within the star increases All this gravity causes the star to collapse in on itself, and then… BAM! Supernova. Then what happened?

And after the supernova… FEMA never showed. Blame Bush.:

All the elements in the star – Helium, Carbon , Iron etc. get flung into space, moving very quickly. Some of these bits eventually get together ( g ravity again…) and make all kinds of other stuff: N ew stars Asteroids, moons and comets Planets, like Earth  Not-quite-planets, like P luto.  And eventually, through the complex processes of abiogenesis and evolution (coming up next!), creatures like you . And after the supernova… FEMA never showed. Blame Bush.

And that is where everything came from.:

And that is where everything came from. Every atom in your body was fused in the heart of a long-dead star. The story is almost as cool as the Christian version, and way less preachy.

But where’s the proof?:

But where’s the proof? It’s in the math.

Seeing back in time:

Scientists have some wicked awesome telescopes, which can see really, really far into space. Hubble, for instance. Tell you senator to give NASA some $$$ to keep that thing running. Light from objects in space, super far away, takes a really long time to get to us. Light from a galaxy that is 2 billion light years away takes…. 2 billion years to reach our telescopes. We are basically looking 2 billion years back in time. Seeing back in time

How far back can we see?:

April, 2009: “Astronomers have spotted the most distant object yet confirmed in the universe – a self-destructing star that exploded 13.1 billion light years from Earth. It detonated just 630 million years after the big bang, around the end of the cosmic "dark ages", when the first stars and galaxies were lighting up space .” So, if the time between the big bang and Eden was 7 days, we are looking at creation 7 hours and 20 minutes in. How far back can we see?

Say: “So what?” We can see 13.1 billion years back in time. How does that say anything about the big bang, which was 13.7 billion years ago?:

Some of the far, far away things we can see are glowing clouds of hot gas. The light they give off lets people who are really good at physics take their temperature. Remember, the big bang released a lot of energy- as in, all the energy that has ever or will ever exist in the universe, all at once. So it was really hot. Knowing about how much mass is in the universe lets people who are really good at physics figure out about how hot it must have been. If we calculate the difference between how hot the far away clouds are and how hot the big bang probably was, and apply laws of thermodynamics, we can tell how long ago the big bang probably happened. Say: “So what?” We can see 13.1 billion years back in time. How does that say anything about the big bang, which was 13.7 billion years ago?

Say: “So what?!” Knowing how long ago the big bang happened doesn’t prove that it actually happened!:

But this does: The universe is expanding, Dr. Hubble says. How does he know this? Light that reaches his enormous telescope from very far away is “ redshifted ,” which means that it comes from objects which are moving away from us. Say: “So what?!” Knowing how long ago the big bang happened doesn’t prove that it actually happened!

Redshift: Like Doppler, but cooler.:

Redshift: Like Doppler, but cooler.

Go ahead… say it. How does an expanding universe support the big bang theory?:

Why else would the universe be expanding, if not as the result of a giant explosion ? The world’s smartest people, using the world’s biggest computers to do the world’s most complicated math, can’t calculate any other plausible reason why. They’re going with Big Bang theory. We are inclined to trust them. Go ahead… say it. How does an expanding universe support the big bang theory?

Coming up next!:

Coming up next! The exciting world of bacteria, big lizards, and birds. Evolution will blow your mind.