When the universe popped into existence with the Big Bang, things were way too hot and wild for protons and neutrons to even exist.
Temperatures so insane that even atomic nuclei couldn't hold together.
It was a soup of quarks and gluons, the building blocks of protons and neutrons.
But as the universe cooled down (and we're still talking about blistering hot here), quarks began to come together, forming protons and neutrons.
However, the ratio of protons to neutrons was not equal.
The early universe favored protons a bit more.
Why?
Stability.
Protons are slightly more stable than neutrons. Neutrons, left to their own devices, will eventually break down into protons, electrons, and neutrinos.
So, as the universe continued to cool and expand, the number of neutrons decreased relative to protons.
By the time atoms started forming, the number of protons and neutrons had already changed from those first chaotic moments.
So, the universe we live in today didn't start with the same number of protons and neutrons it has now.
It's been a journey of cosmic proportions, with the balance of particles shifting as the universe went from a hot, dense state to the cooler expanse we know
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