Definition for Nucleosynthesis

From Biology Forums Dictionary

Nucleosynthesis is the process that creates new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons, primarily protons and neutrons. The first nuclei were formed about three minutes after the Big Bang, through the process called Big Bang nucleosynthesis. It was then that hydrogen and helium formed that became the content of the first stars, and is responsible for the present hydrogen/helium ratio of the cosmos.