The Building Blocks of Life

You are literally made of stardust. The same carbon forged in distant stars is the backbone

of your entire body. Life really just boils down to four main types of giant molecules.

First, you have carbohydrates, your body's main fuel source. Think sugars and

starches. Then, there are lipids, like fats, which store that

energy for the long haul. Next are proteins, the ultimate multi-taskers that build your

structures and run all the chemical reactions. Finally, nucleic acids—DNA

and RNA—which hold the master blueprint for building the entire you. From energy to your

genetic code, it's all you.