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Crash Course Big History: Why Star Stuff Matters (11:03)

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.

Key Ideas

Think about the following questions as you watch the video


  1. 02:10 What was the Universe like before carbon existed, and what was it like after?
  2. 03:50 What makes carbon so important on Earth?
  3. 04:40 How did the flexibility of carbon lead to the first life forms?
  4. 08:30 How is charcoal responsible for “the next rise of complexity”?
  5. 08:55 Why is it possible that carbon may ultimately be our downfall?