Recent studies into ancient teeth have helped scientists to grow their understanding of human evolution. Teeth are incredible things and have the potential to last millions of years! New findings have been developed through recent research. These findings have provided interesting insights!
Teeth are incredible things, with their presence helping us to speak, chew, contribute to our facial structure, and swallow.
Moreover, their durable structure provides scientists with plenty of information. For example, this includes insights regarding human evolution.
Recent studies have provided scientists with findings that further their understanding of human evolution, through the use of teeth dating back two million years ago [1]!
Research on pitting
One recent study that was published in the Journal of Human Evolution involved looking at specimens from Paranthropus, Australopithecus, and Homo, three of the most well-known primates [1].
The research involved pitting. Pitting refers to localized corrosion that occurs on the surface of a material – normally in the form of holes or cavities [1].
In the context of teeth, pitting would typically be the result of tooth decay. This is caused by harmful bacteria in the mouth which erodes tooth enamel.
The researchers analyzed enamel. They found that pitting appears in Paranthropus species, although pitting in Australopithecus and Homo was absent [1].
As a result, the researchers carried out a correlation analysis, but found no association between pitting and variation in tooth size, enamel thickness, or cusp proportions [1]. However, environmental and dietary factors did appear to be associated with the pitting.
Therefore, the researchers concluded that the pitting on tooth enamel that dates back two million years suggests a genetic trait behind this change, rather than disease or malnutrition [1].
In positive news, the researchers found that a rare condition that affects enamel formation called Amelogenesis Imperfecta is significantly rarer in the modern era compared to those in the Paranthropus species [1].
Research on a 146,000-year-old skull
There has also been other research recently that has helped scientists to further their understanding about human evolution. This research was published in the Science journal [2].
In this research, the researchers used dental plaque from a 146,000-year-old skull – which is known as the “Dragon Man” [2].
Plaque, like teeth, is long-lasting. This allowed dental calculus – the scientific name for hardened plaque – to be preserved all of this time on the skull [2].
The researchers used the plaque as a way of extracting ancient DNA. Therefore, this provided them with insights into Denisovans – a group of archaic humans whom little is known about [2].
The researchers extracted the DNA and then conducted an analysis on it. The team were able to identify 122 amino acid substitution characteristics of the Hominidae family [2]. Therefore, the researchers were able to determine that the skull belonged to the homo genus.
This finding allowed scientists to determine that the denisovans spanned a huge area when they were on Earth – likely from Northeast China to Siberia [2]!
Furthermore, an additional achievement from the study is that the team were able to build a reference library of mitochondrial DNA sequences from the skull [2].
Therefore, this provides a new tool to enable further exploration of ancient human ancestry. This will allow more areas of the evolution of humans to be studied.
Summary
These research studies are very interesting! They have helped to contribute towards scientists’ understanding of human evolution. This is always an interesting topic, so any additional findings are useful.
The studies also underline the importance of our teeth. They are very long-lasting, but it is crucial that we look after them. As seen in this study, teeth have the potential to provide very interesting information!
Further research into teeth will take place in the future. This will be conducted with the aim of being able to gather more findings that can develop the knowledge of scientists further.
Thinking points…
[1] As we can see in this article, teeth are very resolute and can withstand a lot. But it is important not to take them for granted! Therefore, make sure you adopt excellent oral hygiene. One such element of this is attending regular dental check-ups, so that your oral health can be monitored by a dentist. We recommend booking now!
[2] Carrying on from the above, not everyone has all of their teeth. If you don’t, then there is no need to be disheartened – it is very common, and treatment is available in the form of dental implants. Implants are artificial teeth that look and act like a real tooth. Here at our Calgary dental clinic Taradale Dental, we offer free implant consultations for our patients. To find out more or to book an appointment, see our website – https://taradaledental.ca/!
What we offer at Taradale Dental
Taradale Dental is a dental clinic based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. At our Calgary dental clinic, we provide a range of services for our patients.
We advise our patients to attend our Calgary dental clinic at least twice per year for a regular dental check-up. At these check-ups, we provide a comprehensive review of a patient’s oral health. If any problems are detected, we have many treatments available. For example, these include cavity fillings and root canals. To strengthen your oral health, we recommend brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing regularly.
Here at Taradale Dental, we also have some cosmetic treatments available! These include dental implants, teeth whitening and Invisalign™! Our patients find that these treatments have a positive impact on their appearance, confidence and self-esteem.
Moreover, the fees of our treatments at our Calgary dental clinic Taradale Dental are set in line with the Alberta Dental Fee Guide. This ensures transparent and fair pricing, with no hidden costs.
We hope to see you soon at our Taradale Dental clinic in Calgary! You can find out more about us by visiting our website https://taradaledental.ca/!
References
[1] Towle, I., O’Hara, M. C., Leece, A. B., et al. (2025). Uniform, circular, and shallow enamel pitting in hominins: Prevalence, morphological associations, and potential taxonomic significance. Journal of Human Evolution. 204 (103703). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103703.
[2] Fu, Q., Bai, F. B., Chen, S., et al. (2025). The proteome of the late Middle Pleistocene Harbin individual. Science. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu9677.
