Radiometric dating

Evolution- Process of Biological Change Evolution is the process, through natural selection, that organisms are thought to have changed from earlier organisms into new and more complex forms over time. These evolutions suit their new environments and needs (Levine & Miller). The origins of this theory began with Charles Darwin. Darwin first explained that evolution occurred because of natural selection, or survival of the fittest. In which, the strongest and most fit organism survives and passes…

In Cherry Lewis’s "The Dating Game", she analyzes the autobiography of Arthur Holmes, the English geologist known for his advancements in radioactive dating and theories on the Earth and how it has aged. To put it into perspective, the book tracks how ideas vary vastly over one man’s day. Arthur Holmes was an influential pioneer in the findings and research of his theory in the mid 1800's, so Kelly depicts his views as time has passed. Through the use of literary analysis, autobiographies, and…

What is radioactive dating? and how does it work? Radioactive, or Radiometric dating is a technique used to determine the age of objects such as rocks or carbon by using the decay rate of radioactive isotopes. It has been used since its invention by Ernest Rutherford in 1905. Radioactive decay itself, is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation. Each radioisotope decays at its own fixed rate and this is measured in half lives. As discussed in Lesson 6,…

Evidence of Tool Use by Early Hominins Tool use has been around for ages we all know this because we are surrounded by it every day, but how long has tool use in human history been at play? There is evidence of early hominids making and using stone tools that date back millions of years ago. These tools are the earliest known signs of modifying natural materials for use as a tool. In this article we will travel back to the early stages of human evolution to date when we began to use objects to…

formed what we call the Moon (Cain). All these findings come together to support the idea of The Big Bang forming the universe and bringing together the solar system including Earth. The accurate method of calculating the Earths age is by using radiometric dating; this process reads the radioactivity of various materials and substances (Cain). Although the oldest rock found on Earth is just over 4 billion years old, scientists agree that the Earth is as old as the Solar System as they were both…

kewensis, which came into existence because of the crossbreeding of two hybrid primrose species, Primula verticillata and Primula floribunda. Sedimentary rocks We do not know the actual, or absolute, age of the fossil. We can only infer. Radiometric dating is a process in which a radioactive “parent” isotope decays into a “daughter” isotope. This decay is expressed by the half-life, which is the time that is required for 50% of the parent…

exposed his theory of evolution for the first time, criticism soon aroused. The period 's mindset highly motivated the struggles for acceptance of Darwin 's theory. In other words, by the 1800s, the notion of an old Earth filled with evolving species dating back from billions of years contradicted religious beliefs and was far beyond everything concluded by other scholars. Although his book soon attracted the attention and support of many scientists to his new “Darwinistic” set of beliefs,…

INTRODUCTION The Permian-Triassic extinction is seen as one of the largest mass extinction in the history of life. According to the McGraw-Hill Dictionary (2003) it can be defined as a mass extinction event marking the division between the Permian Period and the Triassic Period as well as the border between the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic eras. It is estimated to have triggered the extinction of 90% or more of all ocean species, approximately 70% of land vertebrates, and significant extinctions of…

Island The recently discovered Homo floresiensis have been a puzzle for scientists. The skeletons are an odd mix of archaic and more modern traits. The problem of how these diminutive hominins arrived on the island of Flores is still a mystery. The dating shows H. floresiensis arrived over a million years ago by the tools they left behind. The hominins had a minimal cranial capacity, yet they were able to live and prosper until recent times. The Indonesian Island of Flores is a tropical Sunda…

• Procoptodon Goliah (picture 1) – The Procoptodon Goliah was a part of the Sthenurines (short faced Kangaroo) This animal had a very short, deep ‘brachycephalic’ skull and a low jaw. The large Kangaroo stood at around 2 metres tall with a mass of around 200 kg. Tim Flannery an Australian mammologist, palaeontologist, and environmentalist proposed that its closest extant relative is the tiny banded hare wallaby (Lagostrophus fasciatus) this small animal only weighs 2kg in weight and is about 15…