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Radiocarbon dating, also known as carbon-14 dating, is a scientific method used to determine the age of an object containing organic material by measuring the amount of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 remaining in it. This method is applicable to materials up to about 50,000 years old. Carbon-14 is naturally produced in the Earth's atmosphere and is incorporated into living organisms through respiration and ingestion. When an organism dies, it stops taking in carbon, and the carbon-14 within it begins to decay at a known rate, with a half-life of approximately 5,730 years. By comparing the amount of carbon-14 remaining in a sample to the amount that would have been present when the organism was alive, scientists can calculate how much time has passed since its death. This technique has been invaluable in fields such as archaeology, paleontology, and geology, providing crucial timelines for past events and the evolution of life. However, it's important to note that the accuracy of radiocarbon dating can be affected by factors like contamination and variations in atmospheric carbon-14 levels over time, which are often corrected for using calibration curves.