We're All Stardust -- And Why That Should Make You Feel Awesome | Dr. Natalie Hinkel | TEDxNashville

According to Planetary Astrophysicist Dr. Natalie Hinkel, exploring outer space makes us realize all of the possibilities for galaxies, stars, planets -- even life. The basic elements created within stars, or the raw ingredients required for life on Earth, needed to be present at exactly the right times in order for humans to exist -- which is pretty empowering, when you think about it.

Dr. Natalie Hinkel is a researcher at Vanderbilt University, studying the composition of nearby stars and how that may affect the make-up of planets orbiting those stars. She got her bachelor’s degree in physics and math at Oberlin College. Her work has brought to light a number of important (and technical) truths within the field, which she has sought to explain by leading multiple international collaborations. Natalie also observes planets that are outside of the solar system, or exo-planets, by using the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Telescope in Chile. She has studied exotic systems where planets. Her PhD is in Astrophysics from the School of Earth and Space Exploration, which combines the fields of geology, planetary science, and astronomy, at Arizona State University. Natalie has put together the largest catalog of element abundances measured in stars near to the Sun, called the Hypatia Catalog; it contains +65 elements in over 6000 stars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbYYcZtRiXE

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Видео We're All Stardust -- And Why That Should Make You Feel Awesome | Dr. Natalie Hinkel | TEDxNashville канала TEDx Talks