Archaeology & Paleontology

How Does Radiocarbon Dating Work?- Instant Egghead

Nov 30, 2012 |  3

How do scientists determine the age of fossils that have been under the surface of the earth for thousands of years? Scientific American Editor Michael Moyer explains the process of radiocarbon dating.


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  1. 1. MarkHarrigan 04:48 PM 12/3/12

    There was no sound available on this for me - tried a couple of browsers (chrome, IE). A possible problem??

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  2. 2. Ystone 09:14 PM 12/3/12

    Thank you so much!! This is great and will be easy to reference and remember. It's easy for us sciency types, and even easier for non-sciency folks, and will help me, as a Guide/Instructor in Yellowstone National Park, have more credibility when talking age of 'stuff'.

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  3. 3. SciAm Admin 01:47 PM 12/4/12

    Hello Mark. Sorry you're having trouble - we test in many different browsers and we're not able to recreate this problem. For best results, please make sure your browser is set to accept cookies and is Javascript enabled. For further assistance, please email us at webmaster @ sciam.com

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