Over time, carbon-14 decays in predictable ways. And with the help of radiocarbon dating, researchers can use that decay as a kind of clock that allows them to peer into the past and determine absolute dates for everything from wood to food, pollen, poop, and even dead animals and humans.

How is carbon-14 used to determine the age of plant and animal remains?

It is simply called as radiocarbon dating or Carbon-14 dating. Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon, with a half-life of 5,730 years. The carbon-14 decays at this constant rate. It estimates the date at which an organism died by measuring the amount of its residual radiocarbon.

What are the main uses of carbon-14?

The isotope also is used as a tracer in following the course of particular carbon atoms through chemical or biological transformations. In carbon-14 dating, measurements of the amount of carbon-14 present in an archaeological specimen, such as a tree, are used to estimate the specimens age.