of course they can by carbon-14 dating.
A fossil contained in the tock
scientist can determine a fossil's age in two ways: relative dating and absolute dating
carbon dating
Place it in a time period
Scientists can use carbon dating to determine the age of a fossil.
A scientist could use radiometric dating methods, such as carbon dating or potassium-argon dating, to determine the absolute age of a fossil found in a sedimentary rock. These methods rely on the decay of radioactive isotopes within the rock surrounding the fossil to calculate its age.
There are two methods used to determine the age of a rock or fossil. The first is carbon dating and the second is radiometric dating.
You can determine the relative age of a fossil by looking at the position of the fossil in the rock layers. The closer a fossil is to the surface, the younger it is relative to fossils found deeper in the layers. To determine the absolute age of a fossil, scientists use radiometric dating techniques on the surrounding rocks to determine the age of the rock layer the fossil is found in.
by seeing what levels the fossil go to
Scientists determine the age of objects or organisms through radiometric dating, which measures the decay of radioactive isotopes, or through dendrochronology, which analyzes the patterns of tree rings to determine age.
The age of the rock layer
Scientists can use sedimentary rock to determine a fossil's relative age by examining the layers in which the fossil is found. The principle of superposition states that in an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rock layers, the oldest layer is at the bottom and the youngest layer is at the top. By identifying the layer in which the fossil is located, scientists can approximate its relative age compared to other fossils and rock layers.