No, carbon dating cannot be used on living humans.
Why Carbon Dating Doesn't Work on Living Things
Carbon dating relies on the decay of a radioactive isotope of carbon, called carbon-14. This isotope is constantly being replenished in the atmosphere, so living organisms have a relatively constant amount of carbon-14 in their bodies.
When an organism dies, it no longer takes in carbon from the environment, and the carbon-14 within it begins to decay at a predictable rate. Scientists can measure the amount of carbon-14 remaining in a sample and use this information to calculate how long ago the organism died.
Since living humans are still taking in carbon-14, their carbon-14 levels are not useful for determining their age.
Alternatives to Carbon Dating for Human Age Determination
- Birth Records: The most reliable way to determine a person's age is through official birth records.
- DNA Analysis: While not directly measuring age, DNA analysis can provide estimates of biological age based on the rate of changes in the genome.
- Dental Development: Examining the growth and development of teeth can provide a general indication of a person's age.
