Roca dels Bous (archaeological site) interesting archaeological site indeed. Furthermore, it is to be noted that the samples used for the 14C AMS dating were obtained from deep strata at the site. The oldest Neanderthal sites known in the nearby areas date back to around 40,000 BP. The first settlements attributed to “anatomically modern” Homo sapiens sapiens in Northern Spain are dated around 39,000-38,000 BP. All this would suggest that Neanderthals could have persisted in this particular area longer than previously believed, preceding the arrival of the first Homo sapiens to the area. Research work began in 1988. This wide period of time has contributed
Stable isotope ratio Stable isotope ratio The term stable isotope has a meaning similar to stable nuclide, but is preferably used when speaking of nuclides of a specific element. Hence, the plural form stable isotopes usually refers to isotopes of the same element. The relative abundance of such stable isotopes can be measured experimentally (isotope analysis), yielding an isotope ratio that can be used as a research tool. Theoretically, such stable isotopes could include the radiogenic daughter products of radioactive decay, used in radiometric dating. However, the expression stable-isotope ratio is preferably used to refer to isotopes whose relative abundances are affected by