See that tiny bit of white powder in the corner of the test tube? That’s actually stardust—what scientists call pre-solar grains. Their chemical makeup is totally different from anything else in our solar system. These grains are made of diamonds and other minerals, and they were created by stars that existed long before our Sun or planets were even formed.
Whenever someone says what I study is really old, I always think—if humans were around, then it’s actually pretty recent in the grand scheme of things. This might not be archaeology, but this stardust is still part of our story, and I find it completely fascinating.
