Question

An eagle is found dead in a state park. It is illegal to hunt eagles. The park service forensic scientists (CSI!) are called to the scene to determine the time of death. They estimate the time of death is between 2-3 days. Could carbon-14 dating be used to determine the time of death in this case? Why or why not?

a) Yes, carbon-14 dating can accurately determine the time of death.
b) No, carbon-14 dating cannot determine the time of death for this case.

Answer 1

Carbon-14 dating cannot determine the time of death for the dead eagle found in the state park.

Step-by-step explanation:

No, carbon-14 dating cannot determine the time of death for this case.

Carbon-14 dating is used to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years old.

The method relies on comparing the abundance of carbon-14 in a sample with the normal abundance in living tissues.

However, in the case of the dead eagle, the time of death is estimated to be between 2-3 days, which is much too recent for carbon-14 dating to be effective.