Hot Carbon: Carbon-14 and a Revolution in Science (John F. Marra, Columbia University Press, 2019)

Chris Turney applauds a book on carbon-14 and its key applications in archaeology, climatology and oceanography.

It is nearly 80 years since the discovery of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of the sixth element. Because its decay can be used to track the passage of time, radiocarbon has made myriad contributions across the Earth, environmental, biological and archaeological sciences. In the wonderfully engaging Hot Carbon, oceanographer John Marra takes this story much further, exploring not just the science, but why we should care about it. Read more.