IV. Creation of Elements Necessary for Life Stars make the stuff we need for life, like carbon and oxygen (Smith, 2015) 9. This happens in a process called nucleosynthesis. During nucleosynthesis, the intense heat and pressure in the core of a star cause atomic nuclei to collide and stick together, forming heavier elements. When a star dies and explodes as a supernova, these elements are scattered into space, where they can eventually form new stars and planets (Johnson, 2017) 10. Keep it at the 8th grade written level just expand on it atleast 3 paragraphs