Calcium in human bones and teeth comes from 'last gasp of dying stars': Study

Scientists at rth-western and UCSC University found that most calcium in universe, including human bones and teeth, was composed of “calcium-rich superva.” In new research published in  Astrophysical Journal on August 5, 2020, astrophysicists Amanda Morris and Tim Stephens observed  “last gasp of dying stars” with x-ray imaging for first time and found that rare stellar explosions mechanism produced  calcium found in most life-forms on Earth. Furr,  astrophysicists studied phemen by which  ultra-rare, calcium-rich supervae ended ir lives.  

“For first time ever, researchers examined a calcium-rich superva with X-ray imaging, which provided an unprecedented glimpse into star during last month of its life and ultimate explosion,” paper revealed. In new findings, astrophysicists observed that  calcium-rich superva is a compact star that sheds a gaseous outer layer in final sts of its existence. refore, its matter collided with loose material in that outer shell, emitting bright X-rays. Due to  hot temperatures and high pressure caused by explosion, a rare chemical reaction produced calcium, researchers explained.  

se events are so few in number that we have never kwn what produced calcium-rich superva, said Wynn Jacobson-Galan, a first-year rthwestern gruate student who led study.

By observing what this star did in its final month before it reached its critical, tumultuous end, we peered into a place previously unexplored, opening new avenues of study within transient science, he ded.

rthwestern's Raffaella Margutti, a senior author of study explained that prior to se findings, scientists h indirect information about what calcium-rich supervae might or might t be. However w, scientific community gets to confidently rule out several possibilities. According to study, Amateur astromer Joel Shepherd first spotted bright burst, dubbed SN2019ehk in Seattle on April 28, 2019, with telescope used to view Messier 100 (M100), a spiral galaxy located at 55 million light-years.  

[Hubble Telescope im of SN 2019ehk in its spiral host galaxy Messier 100. red arrow points to superva. Im credit: Charlie Kilpatrick, UCSC]

[An artist’s interpretation of calcium-rich superva 2019ehk. Shown in orange is calcium-rich material created in explosion. Purple coloring represents gas shed by star before explosion. Im Credit: rthwestern University]

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Discovery of a potential superva in M100 led to a global collaboration which included NASA's Swift Satellite, W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, and Lick Observatory in California. However, University of California Santa Barbara researcher Daichi Hiramatsu was first to direct SWIFT to study SN2019ehk in X-ray and ultraviolet. In subsequent research, astrophysicists observed later 10 hours of superva explosion and ticed strange appearance of X-Rays with Calcium emissions, according to study. 

Hubble examined superva "before explosion"

rthwestern team discovered that SN 2019ehk emitted calcium using Keck. “ explosion was trying to cool down,” Margutti explained, “emitting calcium”. "It wasn't just calcium-rich," Margutti said. "It was richest of rich." Although Hubble Telescope h been observing M100 for past 25 years, Hubble ims only examined superva before explosion, scientists ted in research.  

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