> Which chemical element do scientists measure to determine the age of organicmaterial?And the answer: carbon.The rings on trees are used to comparatively date artifacts. Photo courtesy:Stefan Dinse Alamy.All living things absorb carbon from the atmosphere and fromfood sources, including a natural radioactive isotope called carbon-14. Thisisotope decays at a regular rate over time, providing a sort of timestamp.Archeologists can use carbon dating to determine approximately when somethingwas alive.The discovery of carbon dating was a revelation for the study of our Earth. Inthe 1940s, upon its introduction into the field of archaeology, scientists'worlds were opened a whole new timeline: chronologies dating back some 60,000years could be adjusted for precision in a way that had previously beenimpossible. By plotting the standard rate of decay of the animal (as determinedby carbon-14 levels) against independently measured chunks of ancient wood (asdetermined by tree rings), scientists were able to plot the timeline of thecreature alongside our calendar year to achieve a near-precise measurement. Since then, the field has only grown. With the most recent calibrationcontaining data from tree rings, lake and ocean sediment, coral and othersamples drawn from across the globe, scientists are thrilled at the prospect ofextending their radiocarbon dating ability back another 5,000 years. This updatecould also bring archaeologists closer to determining the date of thecataclysmic volcano eruption in the Grecian islands – an event whose date wouldeffectively link the timelines of handfuls of cultures throughout the region.To learn more about the 2020 recalibration, check out this article.[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/long-awaited-update-arrives-for-radiocarbon-dating/] And, to learn more about carbon dating, watch the video below.