Question

Remarkably, biologists are able to extract DNA from fragments of ancient Neanderthal bone and sequence Neanderthal DNA. Biologists are also able to come up with an accurate age of the remains. Some of these remains are as recent as 28,000 years old. What of the below is true about how they age the remains?

a. All of these
b. By extrapolating the half-life of Carbon-14 to estimate how much time the ratio of Carbon-14 to standard carbon took reach the present value in the bone
c. By measuring the amount of Carbon-14 present in the bone
d. By comparing the ratio of Carbon-14 to standard Carbon in the bone

Answer 1

The correct option is 'a'

Step-by-step explanation:

Radio carbon dating is a technique to determine the age of fossil material by comparing the naturally occuring radioisotope and the fossil product.

The isotope that is used to determine is C₁₄.

Scientists measure the ratio of C₁₄ to unchanged Carbon 12

The half life of carbon 14 is 5730 which means the fossil loses half carbon 14 in every 5730 years.

The Carbon is obtained by bones of the fossils and thus the technique is required to determine the age of the remain.