The journey of everything
Everyday things have a 13.8-billion-year past too. This library tells each one's story with the same five questions: where were its atoms born, how did nature prepare it, what did people do, what happens when we use it, and where does it go next.
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Whose journey are you curious about?
In the library
Every page answers the same five questions; every date and number was checked against sources.
- C H O N
Bread
Where does bread come from, and where does it go after we eat it?
- C H O
Sugar
Where does sugar come from, and where does it go when we eat it?
- H O C K
Apple
Where did the apple come from, and where does it go?
- C H O
Cotton T-shirt
Where does a cotton T-shirt come from, and where does it go when it wears out?
- C H O
Paper
Where does paper come from, and where does it go when we throw it away?
- C H O
Plastic bottle
Where does a plastic bottle come from, and where does it go when we throw it away?
- C H S Fe
Car tyre
Where does a car tyre come from, and where does the worn-off rubber go?
- Al
Aluminium can
Where does an aluminium drink can come from, and where does it go?
- Ca Si O C
Concrete
Where does concrete come from, and where does it go when a building comes down?
- Li Co C Cu
Phone battery
What is inside a phone battery, where did it come from, and where does it go?
- e⁻
Electricity
Where does the electricity in the socket come from, and where does it go when we use it?
- H O
Rain
Where does rain come from, and where does the water go?
- C H
Gasoline
Where does the gasoline burned in a car come from, and where does it go?
The story of raw materials
From iron to gold, from water to oil: where were the atoms of 11 materials born, and how did they form on Earth?