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All things lose a small amount of carbon-14 over time (decaying to nitrogen-14) and scientists measure the amount of carbon-14 remaining and see how much has been lost compared to a new animal.

Certain adjustments have to be made to this initial estimate as the amount of carbon-14 in the environment varies over time. Natural carbon-14 is made in the upper atmosphere by the result of the reaction of cosmic rays with atmospheric nitrogen. The levels of cosmic rays vary with the position of our solar system in the galaxy and events in nearby stars and in the universe beyond our galaxy. Also carbon-14 levels are elevated significantly above these natural levels by the neutrons emitted in above ground nuclear tests, significantly skewing carbon-14 dates of samples from 1945 until the present time (although most above ground nuclear testing stopped in 1963 this excess carbon-14 remains in the environment and is therefor still being incorporated into living things today).

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