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a chemical analysis tool used by scientists to find out how old organic materials are based on their content of the radioisotope carbon-14. Radiocarbon dating is believed to reliably tell the age of organic materials up to 40,000 years old. Also called carbon dating and carbon-14 dating... more

How Long Can Seeds Last?

You might be asking yourself, how long can a seed stay dormant? This is a question that scientists have tried to answer in many different ways. 

Scientists have found they can still germinate seeds found in preserved plant samples in an herbarium. An herbarium is a collection of pressed plants. The oldest living seed they have found this way is 90 yrs old. That's probably older than your grandmother!

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