The same stuff that makes up all of the creatures on Earth is also present in all of the stars in the sky. Which can make us feel very small in the universe, but also provide some comfort: We are not eternal, but parts of us are. These are the kinds of thoughts that sustained Alan Townsend, a scientist, when he faced some major health challenges to his daughter and his wife.
His book on that phase of his life is This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist's Path from Grief to Wonder. We talk about the stardust and more Earthbound concerns in the author's visit to the JX.