All carbon in the universe forms in the fiery cores of stars, but the element that makes up 18% of our bodies may have taken a detour through the oute

Your Body’s Carbon Likely Took an Intergalactic Detour Before Reaching Earth

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2025-01-12 10:30:02

All carbon in the universe forms in the fiery cores of stars, but the element that makes up 18% of our bodies may have taken a detour through the outer edges of our galaxy—and perhaps even into intergalactic space—on veritable “cosmic conveyor belts” before reaching Earth, according to new research.

Astronomers in the U.S. and Canada have revealed that the circumgalactic medium—a vast, complex halo of gas surrounding galaxies—stores carbon (among other materials) far from the galaxy before recycling it back into the star-forming regions where it originated, contributing to the formation of planets, moons, new stars, and other celestial bodies. The discovery, detailed in a December 27 study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, could have important implications for our understanding of galactic evolution.

Scientists confirmed the existence of the circumgalactic medium in 2011, describing it as a vast, circulating cloud around star-forming galaxies like the Milky Way that contributes to recycling hot, oxygen-rich gases. Now, researchers from the new study demonstrate that lower-temperature material, including carbon, can also hitch a ride on this “cosmic conveyor belt,” as it’s described in a press release.