3 ms·
>"Carbon dating only works on very recent things" Ironically, it doesn't work well at all for dating very recent objects though, at least without a huge fudge
by nonbel 10y ago
>"Carbon dating only works on very recent things"
Ironically, it doesn't work well at all for dating very recent objects though, at least without a huge fudge factor that could only be applied if very specific info is available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Radiocarbon_bomb_spike.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Radiocarbon_bomb_spike.sv...
- bashinator 10y agoThere are other dating techniques that use trace radioactive elements from nuclear bomb testing that have accumulated in living organisms. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867405004083 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867405...
- acidburnNSA 10y agoWell, I meant very recent in the geological sense ;) Good calibration curves accounting for things like that in your link are definitely required to get modern-era results, and with a 5,730 year half-life, it's difficult to even make meaningful measurements to throw onto the curve. So you're right.