I AM STARSTUFF pendant necklace

This is a new version of my I AM STARSTUFF amino acid charm necklace here: http://store.madewithmolecules.com/product/i-am-starstuff-necklace

"I AM STARSTUFF" written in amino acid code demonstrates so much that I love about science.

Of course the starstuff idea comes from the famous Carl Sagan statements: that we are composed of the stuff stars made, which it literally true. After the Big Bang, only hydrogen existed. Stars burned this fuel and started creating slightly heavier atoms. Then other stars made even heavier atoms. They spit these out as they burned or exploded them away as they died. It is this generative magic that allowed carbon and oxygen and nitrogen and potassium - and all the other atoms we need for life - to exist. Look around - everything you see used to be in a star.

Writing the phrase "I AM STARSTUFF" in the language of our own proteins has a profound edge. The genetic code is one of the fundamental mysterious miracles of the origins of life. It reminds me of a time when life was young - there were only bacteria, they shared their genes freely, the smallest change could usher in a tidal wave of possibilities. At this time, Earth was being pummeled with meteors, bringing more atoms and molecules that life could use to grow and evolve. Earthlings and their stellar forebearers were still quite entangled.

The atoms that make up our proteins and DNA are from the stars. And these elements have evolved to make beings like us who look up and contemplate the stars. It's amazing how much we know and how much we can learn through observation and experiment. I love science because it tells us about our DNA and the Big Bang. I especially love science because it shows how interconnected everything is. That I and you and everything we see were once stars.

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This elegant necklace is based on the shape of an amino acid sequence, creating a small peptide/protein. Each amino acid can be represented by a letter, and this spells IAMSTARSTUFF written in a biological secret code!

The necklace is solid, quality sterling silver. The pendant is about 3.5 inches across (about 3 inches between the attachment rings). The necklace is adjustable between about 16-19.5 inches. If you would like a different length, please let me know.

A perfect gift, it comes in a recycled gift box with an informational card explaining the science that inspired the piece.