The cosmic history of the elements: The evolution of the chemical elements and the history of the periodic table

Our endeavour to understand the universe using observation and experiment what we now call science has yielded incredible results and has even revolutionised our lives. It has allowed us to study the basic building blocks of the world around us: the chemical elements. We have even been able to travel back in time and tell the story of the elements from its very beginning. It is a story that stretches over billions of years a timescale infinitely beyond our imagination.

This book takes us on a brief journey through space and time to tell the story of the creation of the chemical elements from the beginning of the universe to the evolution of stars and their final death.

The book also looks at one of the most important and beautiful achievements in the history of science: the periodic table of the elements. The periodic table embodies the amazing order among the elements, and its story is the story of discovering this order.