![]() ![]() Radiocarbon is scarce in nature, formed in the upper atmosphere through the interaction of cosmic rays with nitrogen. In the wonderfully engaging Hot Carbon, oceanographer John Marra takes this story much further, exploring not just the science, but why we should care about it. Because its decay can be used to track the passage of time, radiocarbon has made myriad contributions across the Earth, environmental, biological and archaeological sciences. It is nearly 80 years since the discovery of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of the sixth element. Hot Carbon: Carbon-14 and a Revolution in Science John F. Credit: James King-Holmes/Science Photo Library ![]() ![]() A human femur, thought to be from medieval times, being sampled for carbon dating. ![]()
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