{
  "id": 5594299,
  "title": "Stars forge and deliver the elements that make up your body — and scientists may finally know how",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/stars-forge-and-deliver-the-elements-that-make-up-your-body-and",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-04T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Space.com",
    "slug": "space-com",
    "url": "https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/stars-forge-and-deliver-the-elements-that-make-up-your-body-and-scientists-may-finally-know-how"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists are gaining a deeper understanding of how stars create the elements that make up our planet and everything on it, including our own bodies. Two recent studies are shedding light on this process, particularly during supernova explosions.\n\nIn the first study, researchers investigated how much of a radioactive element called titanium-44 is produced in a supernova. They found that these cosmic explosions create 35% more titanium-44 than previously expected. This new knowledge will help scientists create more accurate computer models of supernovas, bringing them closer to understanding how these explosions unfold.\n\nThe second study focused on a specific type of stellar explosion known as Type I supernovas. These explosions occur when a dense neutron star pulls material from a nearby companion star. The intense gravitational pull causes a thermonuclear explosion, which creates heavy elements and releases huge amounts of energy, including X-ray bursts.\n\nScientists examined the nuclear reaction behind X-ray bursts in greater detail than ever before. They discovered that a process called the \"nickel-copper cycle\" plays a role in these bursts, trapping nuclear material that was previously unknown. While material is trapped in this cycle during X-ray bursts, it only happens in small amounts. This new insight helps paint a clearer picture of the process behind Type I supernovas.\n\nBoth studies, published in the July edition of the journal Physical Review Letters, bring astrophysics one step closer to unraveling the mysteries of how these stellar explosions create and distribute the building blocks of the universe.",
  "summary": "Scientists are close to understanding how stars forge the elements that comprise our planet, bodies and pretty much everything else around us, and how they explode to distribute these elements.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}