ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Cosmological lithium problem

Okay kiddo, let's try to understand the cosmological lithium problem together! So, we know that lithium is an important element that formed in the early universe right after the Big Bang. But scientists have noticed that there is not as much lithium in the universe as they thought there should be based on their calculations.

To explain this problem to you, imagine you are playing with a toy car and building blocks. You know that each block should fit together perfectly to build a wall, but when you start building, you notice that there are not enough blocks to complete the wall. This is like the cosmological lithium problem!

Scientists think that there might be a few different reasons why there is less lithium in the universe than they expected. For example, some of the lithium might have been destroyed in stars or mixed with other elements. Or maybe the calculations are off, so they need to keep exploring and asking questions.

It's like trying to solve a puzzle, but some of the pieces are missing! But that's okay, because scientists love a good mystery, and they will keep working to understand the cosmological lithium problem, so we can learn more about the universe and how it began.
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