Dating [H.sub.2]O Can Trace Pollution.(researcher develops new nonradioactive way to date water)(Brief Article)

Publication: USA Today (Magazine)

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COPYRIGHT 2001 Society for the Advancement of Education

Whether it is the birthday of a movie star or the freshness date on a bottle of beer, American culture is obsessed with age. Yet, few give a second thought to the age of water, the mainstay of life.

Robert Criss, professor of earth and planetary sciences, Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.), has developed a new, nonradioactive method to date water. It involves a sophisticated formula that relies heavily on the ratio between oxygen-16, which comprises...

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