British scientists have discovered a way to accurately judge the age of human corpses by looking into their eyes.
It seems that carbon isotopes were released into the atmosphere by nuclear weapons tests half a century ago. That isotope, C-14, level has been declining ever since. If you were born after 1950, you absorbed a certain amount of that isotope in the first two years of life. So, by measuring the amount of isotope in the lens of an eye, it's possible to determine the year of birth.
The technology is expected to be useful in aiding in the identification of bodies after tsunamis and other disasters.
It seems that carbon isotopes were released into the atmosphere by nuclear weapons tests half a century ago. That isotope, C-14, level has been declining ever since. If you were born after 1950, you absorbed a certain amount of that isotope in the first two years of life. So, by measuring the amount of isotope in the lens of an eye, it's possible to determine the year of birth.
The technology is expected to be useful in aiding in the identification of bodies after tsunamis and other disasters.
Any idea what isotopes do to human health?
ReplyDelete