Ancient stars, nearly devoid of heavy elements, are like fossilized remnants of the first cosmic flashes. For a long time, the odd ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and helium in three such stars was thought to require a hypernova — an ultra-bright supernova with hundreds of times more energy than a regular one. But new research shows that a run-of-the-mill supernova is enough, if its ejecta doesn't spread uniformly, but in patches.

The explosion of a star resembles a spray can: even from a single nozzle, the paint settles unevenly, creating a whimsical pattern. Similarly, a supernova ejects elements in clumps, where one blob may contain dozens of times more carbon than its neighbor. The three "anomalous" stars simply formed within such carbon-rich patches.

Now all ancient stars with low heavy-element content will need to be reexamined: maybe their quirks are just a roll of the dice in cosmic sprinkling.