Browsing: Radiocarbon Dating

Radiocarbon dating is a widely used method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by measuring the decay of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon. This technique, developed in the late 1940s by Willard Libby, is based on the principle that living organisms absorb carbon from their environment, including a small proportion of carbon-14. When the organism dies, it stops replenishing its carbon supply, and the carbon-14 begins to decay at a known rate, known as its half-life. By measuring the remaining carbon-14 in a sample and comparing it to the stable carbon isotopes, scientists can determine the time elapsed since the organism’s death, up to about 50,000 years ago. Radiocarbon dating has revolutionized archaeology, paleontology, and climate science by providing a precise way to date materials such as wood, bones, and shells that are critical for understanding historical and environmental timelines.