In 1939, Martin Kamen and Samuel Ruben of the Radiation Laboratory at Berkeley began experiments to determine if any of the elements common in organic matter had isotopes with half-lives long enough to be of value in bio… See more

The variation in the C/ C ratio in different parts of the carbon exchange reservoir means that a straightforward calculation of the age of a sample based on the amount of C it contains will often give an incorrect result. Ther… See more

Samples for dating need to be converted into a form suitable for measuring the C content; this can mean conversion to gaseous, liquid, or solid form, depending on the measurement technique to be used. Before this … See more