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One of my other reasons for studying pre-cambrian dendochronology was to compare the growth rates of ancient trees to modern ones. This could potentially provide data for the rate of evolution itself. If you can learn the rate of evolution then you can date many many things with far more accuracy than previously thought possible. We could, for instance, get one cell from Philip's body and compare it to modern cells and determine how much time has passed by the amount of change in the DNA. Today, this is fantasy...but who knows what discoveries tomorrow may bring. Things would be dated in terms of genetic age. A frog, perhaps, would be dated as being 2.1 billion genetic years old. Humans, 1.2 million genetic years old. That could get interesting very quickly. later Nicator

Hey Nick, when I saw "dating techniques" I thought it was referring to another kind of 'dating'...aww..thought you might have conveyed some secrets to us 'dateless' ones...teehee...
Anyway, enjoyed your post and thanks.

I doubt very much that DNA can be used to date things so precisely the rate of mutation being so slow similarly carbon 14 dating can only give a range of dates, although there, with more accurate measurements refinement might be possible.
As for the other sort of dating, reflexive listening (ie telling someone what they have just told you so that they realise you have been listening after all and not just watching the match), asking open questions thatis ones that cannot be aswered yes or no, maintaining eye-contact just a little longer than is comfortable, synchronised drinking/eating and of course all the other body cues crossing legs towards the object of desire leaning towards same intermittent but non threatening contact and laughing at their jokes and generally smiling . Can't say I bother myself but these are some techniques I have read about and observed and they do seem to help. The main thing is not to seem desperate that is a killer also jealousy can work wonders, so many humans only see value in things that others can see and then set about taking it safe in the knowledge that their taste is safe from attack. I could go on but a)This has nothing to do with Alexander (except that power is a real turn on) and b)my own strike rate would put me more in Darius' league than ATG's! Chaire

Yes, I'd find it hard to see how rates of cellular mutaion could be well enough understood to be predictive in terms of time lines - forward or back.
As to those other "dating techniques" you so eloquently describe "Agesilaos", I think you may be on to some dating methodology that even the Creationists may agree with!
By the way Agesilaos, is it that much more difficult to cross one's legs with an atrophied/withered limb?