Tag: Science

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This method has been successful due to the abundance of Carbon in organic matter and half life of its isotopes to be 5,730 years.
It has been used for scientific methods, like proving the validity of Dead Sea Scrolls, while also disproving the authenticity of artifacts like the Shroud of Turin.
Identify the method/science.

Show Answer
(Radio)Carbon Dating
It is based on the fact that radiocarbon (C14) is constantly being created in the Earth's atmosphere by the interaction of cosmic rays. The resulting C14 combines with atmospheric oxygen to form radioactive carbon dioxide, which is incorporated into plants by photosynthesis; animals then acquire C14 by eating the plants. When the animal or plant dies, it stops exchanging carbon with its environment, and thereafter the amount of C14 it contains begins to decrease as the C14 undergoes radioactive decay. Measuring the proportion of C14 in a sample from a dead plant or animal, such as a piece of wood or a fragment of bone, provides information that can be used to calculate when the animal or plant died.
Watch this Wild Video by Tom Lum on the topic.

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The Scientific Revolution is commonly regarded to have been in full swing at the turn of the 17th century, and it was right around this time that a German scientist came up with a quick and easy (for the time, at least) nomenclature system for his particular field of study. This system, named after the scientist himself, originally consisted of a lowercase Greek or Latin letter that (loosely) pinpointed a particular attribute, coupled with a specific set of Latin words that worked to swiftly assign names to what he was working on.

The system has since been tweaked and expanded by other scientists building off of his work, but is still very much recognizable and in use today.

What is this naming system called, and what does it classify?

(Bonus: In an interesting overlap, one of the subjects of study under this classification indirectly inspired the name of a former Formula 1 team.)

Show Answer
Bayer designation, named after astronomer Johann Bayer. The initial letter represents the star's brightness, followed by the genitive Latin name of the constellation the star is in.

Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, and its Bayer designation is therefore α-Tauri - which inspired Scuderia AlphaTauri.