Science for Cultural Heritage

What is Mass Spectrometry and What are Isotopes?

Mass spectrometry, MassSpec is a method used to identify the chemical composition of a sample by analyzing isotopes and molecular fragments.

WHAT IS DENDROCHRONOLOGY or Tree-Ring Dating?

Dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, is the method that dates wooden objects by counting the tree rings present in those wooden objects.

WHAT IS CULTURAL HERITAGE, and How Can Science Protect It?

Cultural heritage is a collection of sites, objects and traditions that bring together the history, art and values of different cultures.

ART FORGERIES: How to Identify Fake Paintings Using Science

Scientific methods can be used to identify fake paintings. Combining different scientific methods increases the chance to spot a fake.

PAINTING LAYERS: How Scientific Analysis Reveals the Painting Structure and Composition

Paintings have multiple layers in their composition and different scientific methods can reveal details about the painting structure.

RADIOCARBON DATING and Its Use in Dating Cultural Heritage Objects

Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the radioactive isotope carbon-14 to date objects as old as 50,000 years old.