Articles tagged with Radiocarbon Dating
Archaeologists have developed a new statistical approach to overcome the challenges of radiocarbon dating, allowing for more accurate population estimates. The new method uses Bayesian reasoning and flexible probability models to combine radiocarbon dates with additional archaeological information.
A new study reveals that the domestication of plants and construction of settlements based on agriculture in ancient Japan coincided with periods of relatively warm and stable climate. This challenges the conventional theory that a climatic cooling event drove humans to adopt agriculture.
Researchers at Cornell University used dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating to determine the Noceto Vasca Votiva's construction dates, confirming a supernatural water ritual. The structure, built around 1444 B.C., shares similarities with other monumental builds during major societal changes.
A new study dating the Purākaunui pits to 1430-1460 CE provides evidence for rua kumara storage in southern New Zealand, connecting local Māori traditions with archaeology. The discovery sheds light on how scientific evidence complements mātauranga Maori knowledge around taonga storage.
Scientists at Kanazawa University developed a new method to study the neutralization of excess charges during mass spectrometry, which can lead to more accurate results. The team used a combination of continuum and molecular dynamics simulations to model the effect of adding molecules of the opposite charge to neutralize excess charge.
Researchers used radiocarbon dating and CT scans to study ancient bones, revealing a Bronze Age tradition of retaining and curating human remains. The findings suggest that Bronze Age people valued the dead in tangible ways, often keeping remains in their homes or displaying them as grave goods.
Researchers developed new international radiocarbon calibration curves, improving accuracy for dating artefacts and predicting future climate patterns. The updated curves provide previously impossible precision and detail, enabling scientists to study the demise of the Neanderthals and understand historic climate patterns.
A study from Washington University in St. Louis reveals that Indigenous people in Oconee Valley continued to live and resist European influence for nearly 150 years, reframing historical narratives of early colonial encounters. The research highlights the longevity and endurance of Indigenous Mississippian traditions.
New research reveals the oldest Indigenous site along Australia's longest river system, confirming a 29,000-year-old occupation timeline for the River Murray region. The findings provide deeper insights into how Aboriginal people responded to climate challenges and stress during the Last Glacial Maximum.
Researchers have used a recently developed radiocarbon dating method to determine the exact construction date of an eighth-century Uyghur complex in southern Siberia. The findings suggest that the complex was built as a Manichaean monastery, explaining its abandonment, and provide new insights into the purpose of this archaeological site.
Researchers used subannual precision radiocarbon dating to analyze tree rings in the Por-Bajin monument, revealing a sudden increase in atmospheric 14C in 775 CE. The analysis allowed them to pinpoint the exact year and season of construction as summer 777 CE.
A recent study using radiocarbon dating and microarchaeology has pinpointed the construction dates of Wilson's Arch on Jerusalem's Temple Mount to between 20 BC and 60 AD during Herod the Great's reign. This new timeline resolves a long-standing debate about the entrance to the holiest site in Jerusalem.
A Rutgers-led study uses radioactivity from nuclear explosions to estimate whale shark ages, revealing the oldest known individuals at around 50 years old. This research provides crucial information for conservation strategies, as whale sharks are highly susceptible to human impacts such as ship strikes.
A Cornell University study re-dates Native American sites in the Mohawk Valley, revealing a more accurate historical timeline based on maize dating and statistical modeling. The findings challenge previous assumptions about trade practices and European contact.
A new study refines radiocarbon dating to better understand Mediterranean history, including the tomb of Tutankhamen and a volcanic eruption on Santorini. Regional variations in cosmic radiation lead to small but critical periods of variation in radiocarbon levels.
Researchers have dated ancient Aboriginal rock art in the Kimberley region using wasp nests, confirming that Gwion style paintings are around 12,000 years old. The technique used involves analyzing the age of wasp nests under and over the paintings to establish a date range.
Scientists at the University of Tokyo have discovered a connection between lightning strikes and gamma-ray phenomena in thunderclouds. Weak gamma-ray glows may precede lightning bolts, offering new insights into the mechanism underlying lightning discharge. The research aims to improve predictive models for lightning strikes, potential...
A new process uses chemical methods to purify samples and detect modern forgeries by analyzing binding agents, providing a clear result. This method was tested on a famous case and proved effective in detecting a fake painting from the 20th century.
Researchers used radiocarbon dating to identify a 1985 forgery, finding excess 14C in oil from seeds in the 1950s and 1960s. The technique could help detect modern forgeries by analyzing micropaint samples.
Researchers used radiocarbon dating to track carbon release from thawing permafrost in Siberian-Arctic rivers. The study found that permafrost and peat carbon contributed significantly to dissolved organic carbon in the rivers, with seasonal differences suggesting gradual thaw of surface permafrost as the main source.
Researchers found grains of barley and wheat on the Aland Islands and in Sweden, dating back 4,300-5,300 years. The discovery suggests that small-scale farming was adopted by the Pitted Ware Culture from farmers of the Funnel Beaker Culture.
Scientists used radiocarbon dating to re-evaluate the history of key indigenous sites in Canada, finding that European trade goods were not reliable chronological markers. The study suggests that notable 'contact-era' events may need to be revaluated, as previously dated sites now date 50-100 years later than assumed.
Archaeologists used Bayesian statistics to integrate multiple clues from medieval village remnants, revealing the site's Chalcolithic and Late Roman periods. The study provides new tools for studying medieval village development and transformation of historical landscapes.
A team of international scientists used radiocarbon dating to examine human societies on a broader and longer-term scale, finding that societies often experienced booms and busts simultaneously. This suggests that early globalization was possibly a strategy for societies to grow through migration, trade, and conflict with other societies.
Researchers found that shark vertebral band pairs are related to growth, specifically body width and girth, rather than time or age. This discovery challenges previous methods used for decades and has implications for fisheries management.
The Valencina site, with 180 C14 datings, holds the most radiocarbon-dated sites in Recent Iberian Prehistory. The study reveals funerary practices and Megalithic monuments' construction and use between 3200 and 2300 BCE.
Researchers have developed a new analytic method, Time Population Structure (TPS), to date ancient DNA by predicting time based on DNA mutations. TPS has shown results similar to traditional radiocarbon dating, with an average difference of 800 years in age predictions for samples up to 45,000 years old.
New research from Cornell University challenges widely accepted radiocarbon dating standards, potentially altering historical timelines for the southern Levant region. The study reveals variations in the radiocarbon cycle, causing offsets of up to 20 years in calibration, which could be related to climatic conditions.
Researchers studied the Grand Caillou mound in coastal Louisiana, uncovering a timeline of natural and human events that shaped its construction and abandonment. The study provides insights into how Native peoples selected their villages' locations, using methods such as sediment coring and radiocarbon dating.
Researchers found charred remains of wild plants and domesticated crops like barley in the burial sites of ancient nomads, suggesting cultural exchange and trade. The discovery provides insights into the diet and food habits of the people belonging to the catacomb culture, dating back to the Bronze Age.
A team of historians refutes Oxford's findings on the Bakhshali manuscript, dating its zero to a later period. The manuscript contains 'true' zero with calculations and proves early Sanskrit author thought about zero numerically.
Researchers at Penn State have discovered that maize was sufficiently domesticated 4,300 years ago in Honduras, contrary to previous Mexico-based theories. The site's exceptional preservation and high-precision dating methods revealed larger cobs with more rows than typically found in Mexico.
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science used advanced radiocarbon dating methods to determine the age of a massive stone tower in Jerusalem. The new date, around 800-900 BCE, is nearly 1,000 years younger than the previously assigned date of 1700 BCE and moves the construction of the tower to the Iron Age.
Scientists have dated prehistoric rock paintings in southern Africa up to 5500 years old, surpassing previous estimates. The technique used reveals that these paintings were made over a long period, with some sites producing similar art for over 1,000 years.
Researchers from Russia and US collaborate on radiocarbon dating of ancient porcupine fossils, revealing a 40,000-year-old record in the Urals. The study shows thermophilic porcupines disappeared from the region around 27,000 years ago due to climate change.
Researchers analyzed a medieval skeleton found in a leprosy hospital cemetery in Winchester, UK, and discovered the strain of leprosy it carried was genetically distinct from others, linked to South-Central and Western Asia. The findings suggest that resistance to the disease may have developed over time.
Researchers have developed a high-precision chronology that sheds new light on the Maya collapse patterns, with both Classic and Preclassic collapses following similar trajectories.
Researchers found that measuring carbon isotope 13C can identify distortion in radiocarbon age of materials caused by fossil fuel emissions. This method allows for accurate age determination, even when atmospheric CO2 levels are high.
A team of marine biologists from the University of Copenhagen has used carbon-14 dating to estimate the lifespan of Greenland sharks, finding that they live for at least 272 years. This method was previously only used in archaeological contexts, but is now being applied to fish biology due to the species' extraordinary longevity.
A study published in PLOS ONE found that a proto-Jê pit house in southern Brazil was continually occupied and extended over two centuries. The researchers used radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modeling to analyze the site, which revealed twelve well-preserved floors with different types of ceramics and renovation techniques.
New research reveals that ancient Brazilians continuously occupied oversized pit houses in the southern Brazilian highlands for over two centuries. The homes were extended by adding new floors on top of old ones, and occupants used different techniques to renovate their homes.
A vast reef system spanning 10,000 km2 has been discovered at the Amazon River mouth, contradicting long-held assumptions about reef development. The ecosystem thrives under a plume layer due to chemosynthesizing microorganisms, supporting complex biodiversity in low light conditions.
Researchers have developed a compact and highly sensitive optical method for detecting radiocarbon dioxide concentration, enabling on-site carbon dating and greenhouse gas measurements. The SCAR instrument can deliver results in just two hours with lower cost and faster delivery time compared to traditional methods.
A frozen mammoth carcass with signs of weapon-inflicted injuries suggests human occupation of the Eurasian Arctic at 45,000 years ago. This finding challenges previous estimates and highlights advancements in mammoth hunting that enabled human survival and spread across northernmost Arctic Siberia.
Researchers at Durham University have identified the remains of 17th century Scottish soldiers found in mass graves, using a combination of scientific data and historical information. The skeletons were buried in two pits on the University's site, dating back to between 1625 and 1660, with isotope analysis showing likely Scottish origin.
The increasing levels of fossil fuel emissions could dilute radioactive carbon-14 in the atmosphere, artificially raising its age. This could impact various applications of radiocarbon dating, including archaeology, art authentication, and neurological research, potentially affecting results by the 2020s.
Researchers found that scarlet macaws were persistently traded hundreds of miles north from Mesoamerica starting in the early 10th century, suggesting that social and political hierarchies may have emerged earlier than thought. The discovery changes our understanding of the development of hierarchy in Pueblo society.
The discovery of Naia, a 12,000- to 13,000-year-old teenage girl's skeleton, provides conclusive evidence of a genetic connection between ancient Paleoamericans and modern Native Americans. The remains were found in an underwater cave in Mexico and contain an intact cranium, teeth, and DNA from an Asian-derived lineage.
Researchers have developed a new technique using radiometric krypton dating to accurately determine the age of Antarctic ice, dating back up to 1.5 million years. This breakthrough could help reconstruct Earth's climate history and understand the mechanisms that trigger ice ages.
Physicists used accelerator mass spectrometry to analyze the canvas, revealing a level of radioactive carbon found in 1959, years after Léger's death. This study provides conclusive evidence that the painting is a forgery.
Researchers propose that a 33 A.D. Old Jerusalem earthquake triggered neutron radiation, causing the Shroud's distinctive image and potentially leading to incorrect radiocarbon dating results. The theory is based on piezonuclear fission reactions and suggests that neutron emissions from earthquakes could have imprinted the image onto t...
Researchers used radiocarbon dating on ancient moss samples exposed by modern Arctic warming to determine the age of relic mosses. The findings suggest that eastern Canadian Arctic temperatures are warmer now than in any century over the past 5,000 years.
A team of Swiss researchers has developed a method to extract DNA from cultured pearls, allowing for the identification of species and authentication of luxury jewelry. This technique, which is non-destructive and non-invasive, uses genetic fingerprinting to differentiate between pearls from various oyster species.
Archaeologists at the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered the oldest known use of flowers in grave lining, dating back 11,700 to 13,700 years. The graves were found to contain Judean sage, mint, and figwort plants, which suggest that ancient humans had a positive association with flowers.
A new dating method has accurately determined the age of Neanderthal remains found in the El Sidrón cave in Asturias, Spain. The results, published in Archaeometry, confirm that the remains are between 45,200 and 51,600 years old.
A new study in PNAS challenges the long-held theory that Neanderthals persisted in southern Iberia alongside modern humans. Researchers used a novel radiocarbon dating technique to date bone samples from two sites, finding that Neanderthal occupation occurred approximately 45,000 years ago, rather than later than previously thought.
Researchers from the University of Gothenburg developed a new method to study electron interactions in negative ions, crucial for understanding phenomena like superconductors. This knowledge may also shed light on the origin of life and the chemical reactions that occurred in space.
A new study using radiocarbon dating found that the Northeast Pacific was not an important reservoir of carbon during glacial times, contradicting previous assumptions. The researchers suggest that other potential sources of CO2 during glacial periods need to be explored.
Researchers used the Jaguar supercomputer to simulate the interactions within carbon-14 nuclei and found that strong three-nucleon forces extend its decay. This discovery helps explain why carbon-14 is a useful tool for dating ancient objects.
A study found that commercial laundry detergents and hand washes may contain up to 97% plant-based carbon, while some 'green' products contained significantly less. The research used radiocarbon dating to analyze the carbon content of products and revealed inconsistencies between product claims and actual composition.