Final answer:
Food scraps found at archaeological sites can be dated using radiocarbon dating, which is effective for organic materials up to around 50,000 years old. This method measures the decay of carbon-14, enabling scientists to estimate the time since the organism's death. The 5,500-year-old site in question is well within the effective range of this dating technique.
Step-by-step explanation:
Can Food Scraps Be Dated Using Radioisotopes?
Yes, food scraps found at an archaeological site can indeed be dated using radioisotopes, specifically through the method of radiocarbon dating. This form of isotopic dating is particularly useful for dating organic material that was once living, such as food remains. The technique measures the decay of carbon-14 (¹⁴C) within the material. Since ¹⁴C is a radioisotope that is taken in by living organisms, it stops being absorbed once the organism dies, and it decays at a predictable rate, known as the half-life, which is approximately 5,730 years. Thus, by assessing the remaining amount of ¹⁴C in comparison to the expected level in the atmosphere, scientists can estimate the time since the organism's death.
Radiocarbon dating is applicable to a wide range of archaeological materials and remains one of the most common and reliable methods of dating artefacts up to around 50,000 years old. As the site the student is working at is believed to be 5,500 years old, this would be well within the range in which radiocarbon dating can provide accurate results. However, it is worth noting that for very old biological materials, ¹⁴C might be too low for accurate dating, leading to some uncertainty with materials that approach the upper limit of the dating method's range.
Advances in technology, specifically the use of a mass accelerator spectrometer, have improved the accuracy and reduced the amount of material needed for radiocarbon dating. This tool has significantly advanced the capacity to date small samples, such as the preserved food scraps you've mentioned.