Final answer:
The natural breakdown of isotopes is useful to scientists in determining past temperatures, dating rocks and artifacts, and in medical imaging and treatment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The natural breakdown of isotopes is most useful to scientists in several ways:
- Isotope analysis can be used in paleoclimatology to determine past temperatures. For example, the ratio between stable isotopes of oxygen (Oxygen-18 and Oxygen-16) in an ice core can provide information about historical climate patterns.
- Radioactive isotopes can be used in radioactive dating to determine the age of rocks and artifacts. By measuring the amount of a parent isotope and its daughter isotope, scientists can calculate the time that has passed since the material formed.
- Radioisotopes with short half-lives are used in medicine for diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment. These isotopes emit radiation that can be detected and used to image or destroy cancer cells.