"... What have you learned that rocked your world? ..."
Mostly about empirical observations about the natural world. One very simple idea while in High School studying physics & chemistry that "the iron in your blood flowing through your arteries is composed of left over bits of exploded starts (Iron)". Another is how little we really observe and notice things. Every week I make a habit of exploring & looking for new things mostly flora or fauna [0] in the bush. It sharpens your observation skills and keeps you fit at the same time. It never ceases to amaze me finding a new variety of insect. [1] Last weeks was a huge fly. [2] Never seen them before. I'm still hunting after a huge flying insect approx: 4-5cm in diameter that I've only seen around 500+m elevation.
"... everything in your body is composed of left over bits of exploded stars ..."
Sort of.
It is Iron with Atomic #26, the 6th most commonly abundant element, that in massive stars where stellar nucleosynthesis occurs is the point where the energy generated through fusion. The binding energy to add a neutron or proton, releases energy. After Iron (Fe56) the binding energy required to add a neutron or proton requires extra energy and can result in a collapse with heavier than Iron elements being generated in a super nova.
While stars up to our sun convert H->He and heavier elements it is Carbon, Nitrogen & Oxygen cycle (especially Carbon) that allows larger stars to create energy and finally the advanced fusion stages required for elements up to Iron. So you could probably argue that the existence of Carbon in humans is the just as significant.
Elements heavier than Iron requires explosive nucleosynthesis or a super nova to be created. These elements have unstable half lives. Hence the importance of Iron. [0]
[0] I've butchered a lot of physics here. Feel free to pick me up on the finer points.
Okay, true, but I'll stand by a "nearly everything" since a very large subset of organic molecules are composed entirely of atoms lighter than Fe. We're probably safe to say that only small parts of your body require more exotic cosmological phenomena for their base material.
Mostly about empirical observations about the natural world. One very simple idea while in High School studying physics & chemistry that "the iron in your blood flowing through your arteries is composed of left over bits of exploded starts (Iron)". Another is how little we really observe and notice things. Every week I make a habit of exploring & looking for new things mostly flora or fauna [0] in the bush. It sharpens your observation skills and keeps you fit at the same time. It never ceases to amaze me finding a new variety of insect. [1] Last weeks was a huge fly. [2] Never seen them before. I'm still hunting after a huge flying insect approx: 4-5cm in diameter that I've only seen around 500+m elevation.
[0] http://flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157600203012569/ and http://flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157600195813933/
[1] http://flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157600195955778/
[2] http://flickr.com/photos/bootload/2294889518