Corrected entry: Because of constant motion of the stars in a galaxy is visible, constellations change their shape over the time. But all old civilizations' star maps and future maps are the same in the movie, even they are separated from each other by several (tens of) thousands of years. It is impossible to get any useful data from carbon dating like they do when they examine the first "engineer" body. For carbon dating, you need to know the exact mixture of carbon isotopes and changes in it in the atmosphere of the planet for about 20,000 years. Because there are many vectors in the air that change carbon isotopes ratio over time, you cannot use only the present data for any accurate dating. On Earth, the old data is taken from air bubbles trapped in glaciers. Carbon dating is also correct only if the "engineers" ate food that was grown in that planet's original atmosphere. Even now, many Earth greenhouses add extra carbon dioxide gas for quicker plant growth. Depending of the origin of the gas (nowadays wood or oil that is millions of years), it makes carbon dating in the technological era civilization (especially in the space-faring era) totally useless.
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Correction: Carbon dating has absolutely nothing to do with atmospheric carbon in any form, neither carbon dioxide nor any other organic volatile gasses which are fractionally present in the "air". Carbon dating relies on the differences in the ratio of elemental carbon isotopes, specifically carbon12 and carbon14 which is radioactive and decays over time. By comparing a sample of known age's ratios to those of an unknown and using the fixed, constant decay rate of carbon14 the age of the unknown can be determined. Organic carbon in living items is "fixed" when and organism like a tree dies or when an animal metabolizes the carbon it consumes, carbon dioxide is not consumed or metabolized by the body but expelled by the body as waste.
criffic