How can helium form from four hydrogen atoms if it is composed of the subatomic particles that meet the requirements for only two hydrogen atoms (2 protons, 2 electrons)? Is it due to decay of two of the hydrogen atoms after the four hydrogen atoms bind?; and secondly, if this sounds right, couldn't the two neutrons and protons making the helium atom simply be formed from multi- gluonic bonds between the 4 up quarks and 2 down quarks.