title: Chemistry between the stars.
abstract: Life--as we know it--is a chemical process, based on water and carbon compounds.  Complex organic molecules are made primarily from the biogenic elements--carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur--that formed deep within massive ancient stars.  How did these elements travel from their stellar birthplaces across time and space to make up the life-form that is reading these words?  In this article, we'll take a look at the chemical processes that set the stage for the origin of life.
authors.affiliation: Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Irvine
mesh_terms: D055580:Astronomical Phenomena; D001256:Astronomy; D019443:Cosmic Dust; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D018559:Exobiology; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D011846:Radio Waves
chemical_list: D019443:Cosmic Dust; D006859:Hydrogen