Radiocarbon Dating of Bones and Teeth by Carbon-14 Dating Method (CAT#: STEM-EA-0132-ZJF)

Introduction

Throughout the life of a living individual or organism, bones continuously regenerate. As bones contain the C-14 isotope, they can be used to analyze human or animal fossils in order to determine when they were once alive. The teeth, on the other hand, are not living tissues, but they may contain atmospheric radiocarbon, resulting from nuclear bomb testing during the cold war, which can be used to determine the age of a person.
Radiocarbon dating can be performed on a variety of samples, including shells, corals, bones, and teeth, charcoal, wood, sediments, and groundwater. Each type of material may require a different sample for analysis, so it is important to handle packaging carefully to avoid contamination. By measuring the radiocarbon content of organic material, only organic material can be dated. A living organism exchanges carbon with its environment until it dies, at which point the carbon exchange ceases and the C-14 (a radioactive isotope) begins to decay. In the laboratory, the amount of C-14 in the sample can be used to estimate the age of organic material, organisms, plants, or animals. Before analysis, additional steps may be required, such as decontamination or converting the sample into a form that is more suitable for measurement.