@Klug.

I am a physicist. During my undergrad years I became stupified to discover that nucleons respect the same type of distribution rules in the nucleii as electrons do around atoms. The fact was cool enough by itself, and study the consequences of isotopes behaviors made it even more interesting. But what I was really surprised with was the fact that I had not seen this information anywhere before!

It is truly gratifying to watch such a well crafted video that  explains in simple terms, yet carefully, this type of nuclear behavior. I hope people get inspired by your work as much as I did learning about it on the past.

@Danflave

I am 43 years old and this is the first time I have ever heard this explanation. My mind is blown. Ashamed to say I always assumed that the intense heat and pressure of supernovae just "fused" all the heavier elements. This was also explained so clearly and simply that it made complete sense -- thank you!

@jerrysstories711

Duuude.  Videos like this are why the internet should exist.

@MisterNohbdy

wow, why'd ancient alchemists have so much trouble with this simple task for so long? just use neutron stars smh

@iveharzing

Thank you for covering topics that are hard to figure out without following a University course on that topic, because trying to figure it out by reading Wikipedia or searching for papers is prohibitively hard.

@Irondragon1945

you might not upload as much as other channels but each video is of outstanding quality!

@logicplague

The next time you put on a piece of gold jewelry, just remember that not only is there a good chance that gold formed fairly close to the event horizon of a black hole, but many of its siblings likely didn't make it out. If stones could talk, the stories they could tell.

@shade01977

I've never heard ANY of this before. Thank-you so much for picking up where everyone else  leaves off or fears to tread. For years I have wondered why neutron star collisions "overtook" supernovae as the primary theorized originators of heavy elements - as opposed to merely being a birthplace alongside supernovae. Finally! An answer as to why killanova are now theorized to be the primary birthplace of the heavier elements.

@ngodwi

Wow, why is this not more well known? I pop-sci this stuff to a reasonably advanced level everyday and most of this was new to me!

@Khether0001

I'm trying to avoid hyperbolics, but this is the best explanation I ever heard on this subject. 
It feels more shocking to me now, in terms of actual new information and clarity than what I recall watching Carl Sagan's videos when I was a kid.

@nicholasauwaerts2280

You're team or just you are simply the best science-communicators on youtube, point! Every time i'm amazed how clean you're videos are to explain the most complicated topics there are. Keep it up and i'll always use youre vids in my classroom!

@user-rm2qj2jh4l

This is so interesting! Thank you! I can't believe not understanding this never bothered me more, but now that I understand it, it is so cool! Keep making these, please! :D

@gravitron12

Thank you for that in depth explanation.  I knew that I only had a very simplified understanding of neutron capture and radioactive decay but wasn’t sure where to begin.

@teunkruijer

I love your videos they hit my sweet spot of interest and difficulty of comprehension. Keep it up

@wailingalen

You have a talent for explaining some of the coolest things about our universe. As someone who has been told he is good at explaining things (I used to teach music 😅) I value communication and knowledge sharing and you sir are very good at it.
God Bless You

@rekire___

Perhaps the best elements is the neutron we accumulated along the way

@crocodoom

I’ve been waiting for someone to make this video for years, and I’m so happy it was you. Wonderful work as always.

@CraftyF0X

These videos man, instant bangers all the time. You casuallly explained nuclear physic concepts I pieced together studying this material for years.

@wolpumba4099

0:00 - Universe began with atoms possessing 1, 2, or rarely 3 protons.
0:09 - Over time, stars formed larger elements via fusion, up to iron (26 protons).
0:30 - Questions arise about the origin of heavier elements.

0:39 - Importance of trace and rare Earth elements like iodine, neodymium, etc., in biology and technology.
1:04 - Heavier elements are rare, often incorrectly attributed solely to supernovae.

1:19 - Supernovae insufficient for forming elements heavier than iron. 
1:55 - Introduction to neutron capture as the primary mechanism for creating heavier elements.

2:03 - Role of neutrons in atomic nuclei; balancing strong nuclear force and proton repulsion.
2:48 - Optimal neutron-proton ratios shift with increased atomic mass, following a line of stability.

4:04 - Coulomb repulsion increases as nucleus size grows; mitigated by adding neutrons.
5:16 - Larger elements created through neutron capture, either slowly (s-process) or rapidly (r-process).

5:36 - S-process involves slow addition of neutrons, typically in fusing regions of stars.
6:37 - Iron acts as seed, accumulating neutrons in new stars before being ejected into space.

7:02 - R-process involves rapid bombardment of neutrons; occurs in neutron-rich environments like supernovae or kilonovae.
8:00 - Open questions regarding the escape of newly formed atoms and the frequency of neutron star mergers.

8:21 - Peak of heavy element production likely 10-11 billion years ago; tapered off since.
8:47 - Neutron star mergers may contribute more to heavy elements than supernovae, based on models.

8:49 - Spectrographic data from James Webb Space Telescope backs up the role of neutron star mergers in heavy element creation.
9:02 - Previous evidence from 2017 also supports this theory.

- 9:17: Gravitational decay in neutron stars is weak, taking hundreds of millions of years for mergers to occur.
- 9:38: Some large r-process elements exist in older stars too soon to be explained by neutron star mergers alone.
- 9:50: Alternative sources like fast-spinning, highly magnetized hypernovae could contribute to early heavy element formation.
- 10:21: "Magic numbers" in nucleon shells influence stability and the ability to add more neutrons.
- 11:55: Peaks in isotopic abundance occur at these magic numbers.
- 12:55: For R-process elements, the peaks shift to the left of S-process peaks due to fewer protons and thus less mass.
- 14:00: Overall, large elements are primarily formed in neutron star mergers, with some contribution from supernovae, and are influenced by magic numbers.

@hipokemonfans

I've been asking the question "Why is Iron the stopping point of fusion?" for some time now. No where I looked provided a explanation, they basically said it can't happen. This was an amazing video. You've earned one additional subscriber today! Could you do a video on the heat death of the universe? How quantum tunneling creates iron giants & black holes? It'd love to see how you would do that!