carbon-14 dating

Carbon-14 dating is a scientific method used to determine the age of ancient organic materials, such as bones or wood. It relies on the fact that cosmic rays in the atmosphere convert nitrogen into carbon-14, a radioactive isotope. Living organisms absorb carbon-14 during their life. When they die, they stop taking in carbon, and the carbon-14 begins to decay at a predictable rate, known as its half-life, which is about 5,730 years. By measuring the remaining carbon-14 in a sample, scientists can estimate how long it has been since the organism died, providing a timeline for archaeological findings.