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How can radioisotopes be used as tracers to study biological processes?
On Jun 15, 2024
Isotopes of an element differ in the number of neutrons while the number of protons remains the same. Therefore, all isotopes of an element generally have the same chemical properties and organisms will use atoms of one isotope the same way that they use atoms of another. Therefore a detectable radioactive isotope of an element can be used as a tracer when delivered into a biological system such as a cell, body, or ecosystem. The tracer can be followed as it moves through the system with instruments that detect radiation emitted during decay.