2 ms·
> Yet there are traces of human life there dating back at least 20,000 years BP (Before Present, Present being defined as January 1, 1950, as used in radiocarbo
by wtbob 12y ago
> Yet there are traces of human life there dating back at least 20,000 years BP (Before Present, Present being defined as January 1, 1950, as used in radiocarbon dating).
What's wrong with writing '20,000 years ago'? Seriously, 'BP' instead of 'ago'‽
- frtab 12y agoBecause the real present is constantly moving. To prevent confusion several sciences use 1950 as the present, so if somebody quotes an article where something is radiocarbon dated as 80 years BP, you don't then have to look up the age of the article.