Radiocarbon decays slowly in a living organism, and the amount lost is continually replenished as long as the organism takes in air or food. Once the organism dies, however, it ceases to absorb carbon-14, so that the amount of the radiocarbon in its tissues steadily decreases.

Why can carbon dating not be used on recently deceased organisms?

Carbon dating cannot be used on most fossils, not only because they are almost always too old, but also because they rarely contain the original carbon of the organism. Also, many fossils are contaminated with carbon from the environment during collection or preservation proceedures.

What is the relationship between carbon-14 and the death of an organism?

The radioactive carbon is taken from the atmosphere and incorporated into plant tissues by plant photosynthesis. It is then incorporated into all living organisms by means of the food chain. After an organism dies, its level of carbon-14 gradually declines at a predictable pace, with a half-life of about 5,730 years.

What eventually happens to carbon-14 in once living things when they die?

So after thousands of years, carbon-14 eventually breaks down. One of its neutrons splits into a proton and an electron. When living things die, they stop taking in carbon-14 and the amount thats left in their body starts the slow process of radioactive decay.

Why does the amount of carbon-14 in an organism decrease after death?

The ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 is the same in all living things. However, at the moment of death, the amount of carbon-14 begins to decrease because it is unstable, while the amount of carbon-12 remains constant in the sample. Half of the carbon-14 degrades every 5,730 years as indicated by its half-life.