I finally dated my first artifact, but I almost ruined it with bare hands
I was so excited to try carbon dating on a bone I found. In my rush, I forgot to wear gloves when I picked it up. This can add modern carbon and mess up the age. The first test came back all wrong, and I felt awful. I had to re-clean the sample and run it again. It took extra time, but the second try gave a good result. Now I'll never skip gloves again, and it feels like a lesson learned.