A team of researchers from Seoul National University, the University of Alberta and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences has identified the first known example of a streamlined, non-avian theropod dinosaur to walk on two legs. ...
A large team of researchers affiliated with a host of institutions across Italy has used DNA found in the dental calculus of ancient peoples to help trace changes to the human diet during the transition from hunting to agriculture ...
Teeth from an extinct monkey species are a clue to the ages of fossils of human ancestors throughout South Africa.
Paleontology & Fossils
Nov 18, 2022
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236
Piecing together the story of human evolution is an undeniably complex task.
Evolution
Nov 15, 2022
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Humans have the highest prenatal growth rate of all extant primates, but how this exceptional rate came about has been a mystery up to now. Leslea Hlusko, a scientist at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución ...
Evolution
Nov 8, 2022
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190
Dogs, cats, and their close relatives—existing and extinct—are members of Carnivoramorpha, a group of mammals in which saber-like canines have evolved twice.
Paleontology & Fossils
Oct 13, 2022
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19
Have you ever wondered why so many people end up with impacted wisdom teeth, which cause discomfort, pain and infection, and often require expensive surgical removal? A University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate student ...
Evolution
Oct 5, 2022
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A big catch of fish fossils in southern China includes the oldest teeth ever found—and may help scientists learn how our aquatic ancestors got their bite.
Evolution
Oct 1, 2022
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46
An international team of researchers has discovered 439-million-year-old remains of a toothed fish that suggest the ancestors of modern osteichthyans (ray- and lobe-finned fish) and chondrichthyans (sharks and rays) originated ...
Evolution
Sep 28, 2022
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193
You only get 52 teeth in your lifetime: 20 baby teeth, followed by 32 adult teeth.
Evolution
Sep 22, 2022
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Teeth (singular tooth) are small whitish structures found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates that are used to tear, scrape, and chew food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or defense. The roots of teeth are covered by gums. Teeth are not made of bone, but rather of tissues of varying density and hardness.
Teeth are among the most distinctive (and long-lasting) features of mammal species. Paleontologists use teeth to identify fossil species and determine their relationships. The shape of the animal's teeth are related to its diet. For example, plant matter is hard to digest, so herbivores have many molars for chewing. Carnivores, on the other hand, need canines to kill prey and to tear meat.
Mammals are diphyodont, meaning that they develop two sets of teeth. In humans, the first set (the "baby," "milk," "primary" or "deciduous" set) normally starts to appear at about six months of age, although some babies are born with one or more visible teeth, known as neonatal teeth. Normal tooth eruption at about six months is known as teething and can be painful.
Some animals develop only one set of teeth (monophyodont) while others develop many sets (polyphyodont). Sharks, for example, grow a new set of teeth every two weeks to replace worn teeth. Rodent incisors grow and wear away continually through gnawing, maintaining relatively constant length. Many rodents such as voles (but not mice) and guinea pigs, as well as rabbits, have continuously growing molars in addition to incisors.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
