 8Be has a very short half @-@ life of about 7 × 10 − 17 s that contributes to its significant cosmological role , as elements heavier than beryllium could not have been produced by nuclear fusion in the Big Bang . This is due to the lack of sufficient time during the Big Bang 's nucleosynthesis phase to produce carbon by the fusion of 4He nuclei and the very low concentrations of available beryllium @-@ 8 . The British astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle first showed that the energy levels of 8Be and 12C allow carbon production by the so @-@ called triple @-@ alpha process in helium @-@ fueled stars where more nucleosynthesis time is available . This process allows carbon to be produced in stars , but not in the Big Bang . Star @-@ created carbon ( the basis of carbon @-@ based life ) is thus a component in the elements in the gas and dust ejected by AGB stars and supernovae ( see also Big Bang nucleosynthesis ) , as well as the creation of all other elements with atomic numbers larger than that of carbon . 
