Use of AMS 14C Analysis in the Study of Problems in Aspartic Acid Racemization-Deduced Age Estimates on Bone

Abstract
Major discordances between AMS 14C- and aspartic acid racemization (AAR)-deduced age estimates on bone samples have led to an examination of factors other than time and temperature that can fundamentally influence the degree of racemization observed in fossil bone. Our studies support previous suggestions that for many bone samples the chemical state of amino acids must be routinely considered if AAR-deduced age estimates are to be used to make meaningful chronologic inferences.