Before the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) provided its exquisitely detailed view into deep space (the early cosmos), astronomers were able to establish an understanding of how the periodic table of elements took shape. They were able to use ground-based telescopes in concert with the Hubble Space Telescope to observe a consistent, ongoing scaling relationship between star-formation rates, stars’ mass, and the increasing abundance of elements that match the observed features of the universe for the past 12 billion years.1

What we know is that the periodic table was sparse, initially. The first stars in the universe were comprised of hydrogen, helium, and a trace amount of lithium. The largest of these stars fused hydrogen and helium into heavier elements and scattered these elements into interstellar space when they reached the supernova phase. A second generation of stars formed from the ashes of the first. The largest of these second-generation stars more efficiently generated heavy elements and, when they went supernova, scattered far more heavy-element-enriched ashes into interstellar space. Third-generation stars, like our Sun, formed from the ashes of second-generation stars.

A Consistent Pattern for Most of History
The enrichment of elements heavier than lithium in stars and in the interstellar and intergalactic medium progresses according to a single scaling relationship, one that accurately predicts what astronomers are able to observe in galaxies. As galaxies age, they do, indeed, grow progressively richer in elements heavier than lithium, in keeping with this scaling relationship.

Astronomers have successfully measured the relative abundance of elements in millions of second and third-generation stars. They’ve also determined to a high degree of precision the quantities of heavy elements blasted into interstellar space by supernova eruptions over the past ten billion years. 

However, astronomers’ observations showed hints that this universal scaling relationship connecting star-formation rate, stellar mass, and the abundance of elements heavier than lithium might not match what occurred during the earliest one or two billion years of cosmic history.2 These “hints” motivated astronomers to use the JWST to shed light on the star-formation rate, stellar mass distribution, and abundance of elements heavier than lithium in galaxies that formed during the first billion years of cosmic history.   

The JWST Confirms Astronomers’ Hunch
A team of 13 astronomers led by Kaspar Heintz of the Cosmic Dawn Center and the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark used the JWST to measure the chemical abundances of galaxies just 470–770 million years after the cosmic origin event, aka the big bang.3 They noted that these galaxies proved significantly poorer in heavy elements than would be expected if the universal scaling relationship for older galaxies (formed 2.0–13.8 billion years after the big bang) applied. Elements heavier than lithium were only one-fourth as abundant as the universal scaling relationship would have yielded had it been operating at the same level during that early era. 

Implications for Advanced Life on Earth
The measurements by Heintz’s team indicate that while a scaling relationship does exist in these very early galaxies, it proceeded at a much lower rate than it did from 2 billion years onward in cosmic history. Heintz and his colleagues concluded that “galaxies at this time [previous to the first 800 million years of cosmic history] are still intimately connected with the intergalactic medium and subject to continuous infall of pristine gas, which effectively dilutes their metal abundances.”4 (In astronomical terms, elements heavier than lithium are referred to as “metals.”)

The dilution of heavy elements in galaxies that formed during the universe’s first 800 million years suggests that the Earth’s rich endowment of heavy elements is unexpected, by natural processes alone. Our solar system formed when the universe was only 9.22 billion years old. Multiple factors required exquisite fine-tuning for Earth to become so rapidly endowed with the superabundance of heavy elements—the elements without which Earth’s global high-technology civilization would be impossible.5 This discovery points to a supernatural Designer who provisioned planet Earth not only for the existence of billions of people but also for spreading the message of his redeeming love to all the world’s people groups in a brief (by astronomical terms) time.

Check out more from Reasons to Believe @Reasons.org

Endnotes

  1. Filippo Mannucci et al., “A Fundamental Relation Between Mass, Star Formation Rate and Metallicity in Local and High-Redshift Galaxies,” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 408, no. 4 (November 2010): 2115–2127, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17291.x; Mirko Curti et al., “The Mass-Metallicity and the Fundamental Metallicity Relation Revisited on a Fully Te-Based Abundance Scale for Galaxies,” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 491, no. 1 (January 2020): 944–964, doi:10.1093/mnras/stz2910; Ryan L. Sanders et al., “The MOSDEF Survey: The Evolution of the Mass-Metallicity Relation from z = 0 to z ~ 3.3,” Astrophysical Journal 914, no. 1 (June 10, 2021): id. 19, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/abf4c1.
  2. P. Troncoso et al., “Metallicity Evolution, Metallicity Gradients, and Gas Fractions at z ~ 3.4,” Astronomy & Astrophysics 563 (March 6, 2014): id. A58, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201322099; M. Onodera et al., “ISM Excitation and Metallicity of Star-Forming Galaxies at z ~ 3.3 from Near-IR Spectroscopy,” Astrophysical Journal 822, no. 1 (May 1, 2016): id. 42, doi:10.3847/0004-637X/822/1/42.
  3. Kasper E. Heintz et al., “Dilution of Chemical Enrichment in Galaxies 600 Myr after the Big Bang,” Nature Astronomy2023 (September 21, 2023), doi:10.1038/s41550-023-02078-7.
  4. Heintz et al., “Dilution of Chemical Enrichment,” p. 1.
  5. I describe many of these factors in my books Improbable Planet (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2016) and Designed to the Core (Covina, CA: RTB Press, 2022).

About The Author

Dr. Hugh Ross

Reasons to Believe emerged from my passion to research, develop, and proclaim the most powerful new reasons to believe in Christ as Creator, Lord, and Savior and to use those new reasons to reach people for Christ. I also am eager to equip Christians to engage, rather than withdraw from or attack, educated non-Christians. One of the approaches I’ve developed, with the help of my RTB colleagues, is a biblical creation model that is testable, falsifiable, and predictive. I enjoy constructively integrating all 66 books of the Bible with all the science disciplines as a way to discover and apply deeper truths. 1 Peter 3:15–16 sets my ministry goal, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience." Hugh Ross launched his career at age seven when he went to the library to find out why stars are hot. Physics and astronomy captured his curiosity and never let go. At age seventeen he became the youngest person ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society. With the help of a provincial scholarship and a National Research Council (NRC) of Canada fellowship, he completed his undergraduate degree in physics (University of British Columbia) and graduate degrees in astronomy (University of Toronto). The NRC also sent him to the United States for postdoctoral studies. At Caltech he researched quasi-stellar objects, or "quasars," some of the most distant and ancient objects in the universe. Not all of Hugh's discoveries involved astrophysics. Prompted by curiosity, he studied the world’s religions and "holy books" and found only one book that proved scientifically and historically accurate: the Bible. Hugh started at religious "ground zero" and through scientific and historical reality-testing became convinced that the Bible is truly the Word of God! When he went on to describe for others his journey to faith in Jesus Christ, he was surprised to discover how many people believed or disbelieved without checking the evidence. Hugh's unshakable confidence that God's revelations in Scripture and nature do not, will not, and cannot contradict became his unique message. Wholeheartedly encouraged by family and friends, communicating that message as broadly and clearly as possible became his mission. Thus, in 1986, he founded science-faith think tank Reasons to Believe (RTB). He and his colleagues at RTB keep tabs on the frontiers of research to share with scientists and nonscientists alike the thrilling news of what's being discovered and how it connects with biblical theology. In this realm, he has written many books, including: The Fingerprint of God, The Creator and the Cosmos, Beyond the Cosmos, A Matter of Days, Creation as Science, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, and More Than a Theory. Between writing books and articles, recording podcasts, and taking interviews, Hugh travels the world challenging students and faculty, churches and professional groups, to consider what they believe and why. He presents a persuasive case for Christianity without applying pressure. Because he treats people's questions and comments with respect, he is in great demand as a speaker and as a talk-radio and television guest. Having grown up amid the splendor of Canada's mountains, wildlife, and waterways, Hugh loves the outdoors. Hiking, trail running, and photography are among his favorite recreational pursuits - in addition to stargazing. Hugh lives in Southern California with his wife, Kathy, and two sons.



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