Discovering the elements is discovering life itself. What are we made of? What keeps us and our universe in motion? This book is more than a walk through the periodic table. It explains the tremendous forces of star birth and death that create elements. It chronicles the history of their discovery and the impact of their science on every aspect of our daily lives, from medicine to technology, architecture to the environment. Beautiful photographs and modern graphics make apparently ordinary substances, their extraction and their changes look as extraordinary as they truly are.