Carbon-14 dating is a scientific method used to determine the age of organic materials by measuring the decay of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon. This technique is essential for understanding the timeline of archaeological finds and geological events, allowing scientists to date objects that were once alive, such as plants and animals, up to about 50,000 years old. By comparing the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a sample, researchers can calculate how long it has been since the organism's death.
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