Purdue University researchers have combined chlorine, cosmic rays and a particle accelerator to help solve a mystery about the earth's ancient climate. Researchers have used the technique and the Purdue facility to date geologic events such as ancient glacial activity in Wisconsin and California. Such investigations aid in the study of the past climate, and may shed light on future climatic patterns.
Studies also are under way to trace how calcium, aluminum and cholesterol are absorbed in the body.
The lab also is used to date and determine the origin of meteorites that have fallen to earth, and to track the flow of pollutants in samples of air and ground water. Radioisotopes have been used for many years to obtain information, but before accelerator mass spectrometry, accurate results were hard to achieve unless large quantities of the sample material were available. For accelerator mass spectrometry, scientists need a much smaller sample, as small as a milligram in some cases. The lab also receives funding from the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles. Here's an example of a project the lab was recently involved with.