10 TV Shows That Got Science Completely Wrong
4. Carbon Dating For Forensic Evidence - Bones
It's almost impressive how much content Bones got out of so restrictive an idea that wasn't even close to scientifically accurate, let alone the fact that the show was actually pretty alright.
The part where the show got science completely wrong is all the way down to the premise of the show. While undoubtedly leading to some shockingly clever mysteries when it was done right, using carbon dating as a method of forensic evidence is just...not a thing.
It's just not, sorry. Carbon dating is real, don't get me wrong, but it's used more for really, REALLY old studies, such as archeology, or anything else that's so old that it predates traditional means of recording time and must instead be measured by pure physical age. Using it to solve boilerplate primetime TV crimes is just not something the practice was meant to have anything to do with.
Sorry Bones, you're still a fun time, just not the most scientifically accurate in the world.