While the saying “we are stardust” seems poetic but vague, it is literally true. The atoms of your body were created in the cores of stars billions of years ago. We should use this knowledge to draw closer to each other and share the joy and fear of our brief existence. Recorded at TEDxBaltimore January 2016.

Michelle Thaller PhD is the assistant director for Science Communication at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She manages the SSC education and public outreach program, writes a monthly science column for the Christian Science Monitor, and has made numerous appearances on television.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx