The primordial soup from which all matter was forged

Space · Published 29 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before atoms existed, the universe was a hot, dense state of matter where the building blocks of protons and neutrons were unbound. This video explores the fundamental particles that formed the universe's first state.

Everyday matter is built from atoms, which consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons. However, at a deeper level, protons and neutrons are composed of smaller particles called quarks.

These quarks are held together by gluons. In the earliest moments of the universe, matter existed as a Quark-Gluon Plasma—a state where these components were not yet bound into the familiar structures of the modern world.

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