Chemical composition of the human body and the universe

The similarity of the chemical composition of the universe to that of the human body has been remarked upon before. Since I am studying more chemistry as of late I thought writing these out would help cement the knowledge and might be of interest to others. Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Carbon are 3 of the 4 most common elements in the universe and in the human body.

In the human body the 4 most common elements (percent of atoms) are:

  1. Hydrogen – 63%
  2. Oxygen – 24%
  3. Carbon – 12%
  4. Nitrogen – 0.6%

In the universe the 4 most common elements (ppb by weight) are:

  1. Hydrogen – 74-75%
  2. Helium – 23-24%
  3. Oxygen – 1%
  4. Carbon – 0.5%

The mass of the human body is composed of:

  1. Oxygen – 65%
  2. Carbon – 18%
  3. Hydrogen – 10%
  4. Nitrogen – 3%

Further Reading

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