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The carbon-14 isotope would vanish from Earth's atmosphere in less than a million years were it not for the constant influx of cosmic rays interacting with molecules of nitrogen (NFigure 1: Diagram of the formation of carbon-14 (forward), the decay of carbon-14 (reverse).Carbon-14 is constantly be generated in the atmosphere and cycled through the carbon and nitrogen cycles.— It was while working in the Kent Laboratory building in the 1940s that researchers developed radiocarbon dating—an innovative method to measure the age of organic materials. — The Earth's magnetic field experiences reversals such that north becomes south. Researchers have dated volcanic ash that was formed immediately before ...— The precise dating of ancient charcoal found near a skull is helping reveal a unique period in prehistory.Carbon 14 is continually being created in the Earth's atmosphere by the interaction of nitrogen and gamma rays from outer space.Since atmospheric carbon 14 arises at about the same rate that the atom decays, the Earth's levels of carbon 14 have remained constant. From this science, we are able to approximate the date at which the organism were living on Earth.Radiocarbon dating is used in many fields to learn information about the past conditions of organisms and the environments present on Earth.

How do scientists know how old an object or human remains are?

Once an organism is decoupled from these cycles (i.e., death), then the carbon-14 decays until essentially gone.

The half-life of a radioactive isotope (usually denoted by $$t_$$) is a more familiar concept than $$k$$ for radioactivity, so although Equation $$\ref$$ is expressed in terms of $$k$$, it is more usual to quote the value of $$t_$$.

All organisms have a certain amount of 14C present in their bodies – it is absorbed out of the atmosphere by plants during the process of photosynthesis, and transferred to animals when the plants are eaten.

While alive, organisms experience a balance of 14C intake and dissipation.