A forensic zoologist has devised a smart way to limit the world trade in illegal ivory. Under EU law, only antique ivory from before 1947 can be traded legally but there was no accurate way to date ivory... until now.
Dr Ross McEwing from Edinbugh Zoo has devised a technique to test for levels of the carbon 14 isotope in bones and tusks. The higher the level, the more likely it is to originate for the post-1947 era. Testing begins this summer.
Metro, 4 January 2010, p9.
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