We are all stardust...

[repoman]

Much like how spectrosopy is way oversimplified in school (there are many more ways for light to interact with matter), I think that the model of normal large stars not making any elements well past iron is simplified. If there is enough excess energy available they will be produced before a supernova. How often they revert back to iron I am not sure about.

Even if you somehow got star generate some tiny amount of heavier than iron elements you still need to get it out somehow and there is not other way than supernova.

Stars also shed large amounts of material during their giant phase. Granted much of that is light elements.

 

[barbos]

Even if you somehow got star generate some tiny amount of heavier than iron elements you still need to get it out somehow and there is not other way than supernova.

Stars also shed large amounts of material during their giant phase. Granted much of that is light elements.

Light stars like sun. To have any chance of making heavy elements you need a massive stars which fuse iron. These stars don't go giant, they go supernova

 

[Shadowy Man]

That a GRB caused by merging neutron stars contributed more to the local mix than is typical elsewhere will inevitably skew the results.

Do we know for sure that GRBs are caused by merging neutron stars? Which of the GRBs might those be?