Archaeologists use the radioactive decay of carbon-14 to estimate the death dates of organic material. All living things have a constant level of C14, and once they die, it starts to decay exponentially.
a) At 34,500-year-old Homo neanderthalensis skull contains approximately 1.5625% of its original C14. Use this fact to determine an approximate value for the half-life of C14.
b) It is theorized that the last Homo Floresiensis - nicknamed "the hobbit" for its small body and brain sizes - died approximately 13,000 years ago. Olivia discovered a small bone that has approximately 30% of C14 remaining. Is it likely that she has discovered a Homo floresiensis skeleton?