Dating ancient tooth fragments

CAVE FOSSILS ARE AMONG COLLECTIONS AT THE BOX. JO CLARKE EXPLAINS MORE

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THE Box has a large group of cave fossils from the Plymouth area in its collections.

Cave exploration here began over 200 years ago, although sadly much of the material that was discovered was lost during the Blitz. In October 2012, a substantial collection of cave material was donated to The Box by the Kitley Estate, near Yealmpton. The collection comprises over 4,000 specimens, including teeth and bones.

Recently one of the tooth fragments has been radiocarbon dated. Radiocarbon dating is a scientific method used to find out how old once-living things are. It works by measuring a special type of carbon called carbon-14. All living things take in carbon while they're alive, either by eating plants or breathing air. When they die, they stop taking in carbon, and the carbon-14 inside them slowly breaks down.