All matter made up of exactly the same atoms

[tali1]

Is all matter made up of EXACTLY the same atoms - or different types of atoms?
Eg is a persons atom make up exactly the same as say a chair?
Are atoms make up for living things distinctly different from inanimate objects?

[Clanad]

That's the basic idea... look, there's only a very finite number of elements that can be combined to make a relatively small number of compounds from which all matter proceeds Even then, not all elements can be combined with just any old other element. The elements and therefore the compounds are made of atoms in certain combinations (H20 as water comes to mind). The atoms making up the human body are the same, constttuently, as those making up your referenced chair... The human body just has different ratio than does the chair. For clarity, it's important to understand that one example of matter can have atoms that another may not have... but if the example has, say carbon, as a basis, the atoms of carbon are the same... otherwise it wouldn't be carbon...

[fo3nix]

The atom depends on what element it is.

So for example, a carbon atom is different to an oxygen atom (the difference is that there is a different number of electrons, protons and neutrons in the atom, making it behave differently).

However, one carbon atom is the same as any other carbon atom. There is no difference.

What's more, the constituent parts of any atom --- protons, neutrons and electrons --- are the same in any atom. The electrons buzzing about in your TV or computer screen are exactly the same as the electrons buzzing about in your body.

[jake-the-peg]

There are 9o or so naturally occuring elements

You and everything you see around you is made from these in various combinations.

Clanad would be right about a "relatively small number of compounds" were it not for carbon which can join with itself as well as others in a way to form an almost infinite variety of combinations.

Only 2 of these Hydrogen and Helium were created in the big bang.

All the others, almost all of the atoms that make you up were created when a star exploded in a gigantic supernova explosion billions of years ago.

Smile, you are stardust.

[beso]

To be precise:

All atoms of the same element are not the identical. Each element has a variety of isotopes where the atom has a varying number of neutrons and a different weight.

For example most carbon atoms have six protons and six neutrons. About one percent have seven neutrons a few have have as many as eight neutrons. This last isotope is known as Carbon 14.

Photosynehesis has slight preferences carbon 13 so thechnically living things are made up of slightly different proportions of carbon atoms from non living carbon materials. However most carbon containing materials were one living.

After the living thing dies, the carbon 14 begins to decay. About half of it breaks down every five thousand years or so. By measuring the ratio of carbon 14 to the other isotopes scientists can establish when the living thing died (up to about 60,000 years).

It is also not entirely correct that all atoms other than hydrogen and helium must be made in supernovae. It is true for the elements above iron (well an isotpoe of bismuth to be exact but lets not get too pedantic). Fusion of helium in the late stages of stars that have consumed virutally all their hydrogen produces oxygen without the involvment of a supernova.

Additional helium nuclei and neutrons can be captured by the oxygen forming even heavier elements and this process continues. Many of the elements synthesised in this way are unstable isotopes and decay back down to stable isotopes of various other elements.

Larger stars undergoing this process do go on to become supernovae. Most of the stars in the early universe were large so it is true that many of the atoms were formed in supernovae. It just isn't absolutely essential.

[rov1200]

The amazing thing is your body rejuvenates each year 98% of the atoms are being replaced. Don't believe me?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?* ******=11893583

[rov1200]

now why did that happen, answerbank have substituted
storyId with astericks in the link? Its a Capital I after y

[rov1200]

Here is the actual copy then:

Atomic Tune-Up: How the Body Rejuvenates Itself


All Things Considered, July 14, 2007 � For most people, a makeover means losing weight and getting new clothes, hair and makeup.

But what they may not know is that the body does its own extreme makeover regularly. In fact, 98 percent of the atoms in the body are replaced yearly.

Researchers in the 1950s made the discovery by feeding their subjects radioactive atoms. Using radiation detectors, the researchers watched the atoms move all over the body. They found that the new atoms replaced old ones and ended up in all tissues of the human