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Dating techniques

Illuminating the past

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The technique of optical dating was first reported 30 years ago, and has since revolutionized studies of events that occurred during the past 500,000 years. Here, two practitioners of optical dating assess its impact and consider its future.

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Figure 1: Electron traps as timekeepers in mineral grains.

Ref. 1/The Globe and Mail/Nature

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Richard G. Roberts is at the Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.,

    Richard G. Roberts

  2. Olav B. Lian is in the Department of Geography and the Environment, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, British Columbia V2S 7M8, Canada.,

    Olav B. Lian

Authors
  1. Richard G. Roberts
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  2. Olav B. Lian
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Correspondence to Richard G. Roberts or Olav B. Lian.

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Roberts, R., Lian, O. Illuminating the past. Nature 520, 438–439 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/520438a

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