DO ATOMS LAST FOREVER

Nothing in our universe is eternal.......or is this just conjecture. Atoms are the building blocks of matter. They quite literally make our universe what it is. When we die, our bodies do not turn into nothing; rather, they are broken down into their constituent parts and recycled into the ecosystem. In short, our atoms go on long after we are gone. Since an atom has a finite number of protons and neutrons, it will generally emit particles until it gets to a point where its half-life is so long, it is effectively stable. For example, Bismuth-209 is believed to have the longest decay rate. It undergoes something known as "alpha decay," and its half-life is over a billion times longer than the current estimated age of the universe. So for all intents and purposes, Bismuth-209 is basically eternal.