The Miami-based lab has studied this methodology since it was first introduced years ago. The lab receives bones from different parts of the world – samples that have been subjected to a wide variety of environmental, preservation, and contamination conditions. Combining this quality with an internal capacity for rapid generation of results gave the lab the opportunity to study the ultra-filtration method with many analyses on a wide variety of bones, Beta Analytic President Darden Hood said.

According to Mr. Hood, the laboratory’s internal research has not revealed that ultra-filtration improves the accuracy of the radiocarbon date on the bone proteins as compared to its conventional collagen extraction techniques. In most studies, both conventional collagen extraction and ultra-filtration methods yielded the same radiocarbon age for all age ranges (from 0 BP to infinite) that the lab tested. In some cases, Mr. Hood said, differences were observed wherein the ultra-filtration result was considered anomalous.

“We have now resolved the inconsistencies and concerns through the use of new filter designs which do not include glues, enhanced filter cleaning techniques confidently removing filter preservative (glycerin), and most importantly, by using the same large robust collagen extracts derived from the proven conventional collagen extraction methods with the addition of subsequent ultra-filtration steps,” Mr. Hood stated.

Beta Analytic AMS Dating Bones

Beta Analytic guarantees accurate and precise radiocarbon dates. The lab’s standard AMS dating service for bones has a turnaround time of 14 business days or less, although a few additional days might be necessary in cases where proteins are weakly preserved or samples require extended communication with the lab. Beta Analytic welcomes discussions and communications regarding the analyses in an effort to always provide attentive customer service.

The lab is located in Miami, Florida. All analyses/measurements are done in-house. Clients may send their samples directly to Florida or to forwarding offices in various cities including North Sydney, Australia; São Paulo, Brazil; Beijing and Xiamen, China; New Delhi, India; Nagoya, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and London, UK. For any inquiries, please call (1) 305-667-5167 or email lab@radiocarbon.com.

The Miami-based lab has maintained its accreditation for these services: (1) measurement of natural levels of radiocarbon by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) and/or Proportional Scintillation-Counter Method (PSM), and (2) measurement of stable isotope rations of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS). The lab also provides other testing services based on radiocarbon analysis – ASTM D6866, CEN/TS 16137, CEN/TS 16295, CEN/TS 15747, CEN/TR 15591, and EN 15440.

Beta Analytic received its ISO 17025 accreditation in November 2008. Its technical competence and management system is evaluated annually as part of the accreditation. PJLA has completed the latest assessment in November 2012.

PJLA no longer issues expiration dates on its certificates and has posted Beta Analytic’s certificate in its website to confirm the validity. According to PJLA, Beta Analytic’s certification will remain valid as long as the lab continues to maintain the re-accreditation assessments.

Based in Florida, Beta Analytic has been a professional radiocarbon dating lab since 1979. Over the years, it has expanded its operations to include sample forwarding offices and representatives in London, UK; Nagoya, Japan; Beijing and Xiamen, China; New Delhi, India; Seoul, South Korea; Sydney, Australia; and São Paulo, Brazil.

For inquiries on the lab’s services or requests for copies of the accreditation certificate, please contact Beta Analytic Deputy Director and Quality Manager Ron Hatfield at lab@radiocarbon.com or +1-305-667-5167.

“By opening this sample forwarding facility in Seoul, we aim to provide archaeologists and geoscientists in South Korea a more cost-effective, hassle-free way of sending their samples to our laboratory. We shoulder the shipping fees and take charge of customs requirements,” company president Mr. Darden Hood said.

“We aim to provide researchers their results even while they are still doing fieldwork. Our standard AMS dating service provides results in 14 business days or less. Our faster services can provide results in 6 business days or less. We also provide clients with an online results archive that they can access anytime. The archive includes quality assurance reports and photos of the samples submitted and analyzed,” Mr. Hood added.

The Seoul office is Beta Analytic’s fifth sample forwarding facility in Asia. Beta Analytic currenlty has representatives and sample forwarding offices in Nagoya, Japan; New Delhi, India; and Beijing and Xiamen, China.

Beta Analytic’s Global Presence

Miami-based Beta Analytic has opened sample forwarding facilities to boost its worldwide presence. Clients in Europe are encouraged to send their samples to the office in London, UK. Clients in Japan coordinate with Chikyu Kagaku Kenkyusho Corp. in Nagoya for their sample submissions. Those in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are served by an office in Beijing, China, which was set up in 2009. Beta Analytic also has sample forwarding offices in New Delhi, India; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and North Sydney, Australia.

The company has also improved its online presence by providing human-translated web pages in Chinese, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. The company also has research associates fluent in the said languages to assist clients from different regions.

ISO 17025-accredited Beta Analytic has provided radiocarbon dating services since 1979. The company accepts archaeological, geological, and groundwater samples for AMS dating from universities, government agencies, and private institutions.

Contact:
Representative: Mr. Yong Cho
Beta Analytic Inc.
16F, Gangnam Bldg.
1321-1, Seocho-dong
Seocho-gu
Seoul 137-070
Korea
Tel: (82) 2 2190 3725
Fax: (82) 2 2190 3710

Conference organizers expect more than 1,150 participants at the meeting. Attendance is significantly higher than in previous years due to integration of the 5th International Research Congress of Medieval and Modern Archaeology also known as the Medieval Europe Research Congress (MERC).

“We join conferences like the EAA annual meeting to show our commitment to the industry. We continue to provide archaeologists with fast, high-quality radiocarbon dating services and excellent client support. We have no co-publication requirement, and we maintain confidentiality of the results. Our goal is to provide our clients with accurate and precise radiocarbon dates even while they are still out doing field work,” Ms. Patodia says.

The EAA 2012 program includes more than 75 sessions focusing on these four major themes – Interpreting the Archaeological Record, Maritime Archaeology, Archaeological Heritage Resource Management, and Perspectives on Archaeology in the Modern World. The annual meeting also includes awarding of the European Archaeological Heritage Prize and the EAA Student Award.

This year’s meeting is organized by the University of Helsinki, the National Board of Antiquities, the Finnish Antiquarian Society in collaboration with the Archaeological Society of Finland, the University of Oulu, and the University of Turku.

Beta Analytic supports the EAA by joining its annual meeting as an exhibitor or advertiser.

About Beta Analytic

ISO 17025-accredited Beta Analytic is a dedicated radiocarbon dating laboratory based in Miami, Florida. Its AMS dating standard service has a turnaround time of 14 business days. Expedited services are also available with results released between 2 to 6 business days. The professional radiocarbon dating lab is respected worldwide for accuracy, quality, and customer care. Beta Analytic has sample forwarding facilities in London, UK; Sydney, Australia; São Paulo, Brazil; Beijing and Xiamen, China; New Delhi, India; and Nagoya, Japan.

Contact:

Pat Patodia

Tel - (1) 305-667-5167

Email - lab@radiocarbon.com

“The JAQUA congress is a great venue to meet our existing clients and to promote Beta Analytic’s ISO 17025 accredited radiocarbon dating services to young researchers. By joining conferences like the JAQUA congress, we affirm our commitment to provide researchers in Japan high-quality results in a matter of days instead of months. Our results include Carbon-13/Carbon-12 measurements, calendar calibration when applicable, quality assurance reports, and we have no co-publication requirement,” Mr. Matsuyama says.

The three-day congress will be held at Rissho University in Saitama Prefecture. The event is concurrent with the university’s 140th anniversary. Co-sponsors of the congress include the Geological Society of Japan, the Volcanological Society of Japan, Japan Society of Mineral Sciences, Japan Cultural Society, and the Japanese Geomorphological Union, among others.

JAQUA members consist of geologists, geographers, paleontologists, zoologists, botanists, soil scientists, anthropologists, archaeologists, geophysicists, geochemists, engineers, and other researchers interested in Quaternary studies, which focus on the last 2.6 million years of the geologic time scale. The organization was founded in 1956 and now has about 1,700 members. JAQUA holds an annual meeting and sponsors symposia in universities. It also publishes a quarterly newsletter and the Quaternary Research journal (Daiyonki-kenkyu).

Beta Analytic Representative Affiliate Chikyu Kagaku Kenkyusho

Chikyu Kagaku Kenkyusho supports geoscientists in Japan by providing Beta Analytic’s fast, high-quality radiocarbon dating services. Through its partnership with Beta Analytic Inc., the company provides radiocarbon dating results in as little as 3 business days. All results are reported in Japanese. For details, visit www.geolab.co.jp.

Contact:

Sumihisa Matsuyama

Chikyu Kagaku Kenkyusho

1-608 Uedahonmachi

Tenpaku-ku, Nagoya-shi

Aichi 468-0007 Japan

Tel: +81-52-802-0703

Email: geoinfo@geolab.co.jp