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Teeth

New Research

Worn-Out Teeth Expand the Narrative of the Ancient Egyptian Career Woman

Wear patterns suggest a woman buried in the ancient city of Mendes processed papyrus reeds, a job women were not previously known to do

A collection of Hominin teeth used to determine the rate of tooth evolution among human ancestors.

The Teeth of Early Neanderthals May Indicate the Species’ Lineage Is Older Than Thought

Some of the oldest known Neanderthal remains include teeth that could push back the split with modern human lineages, but not all scientists are convinced

Researchers analyzed the orthodentin and the cementum in the sloth tooth. Pits mark locations where samples were collected for analysis.

Found: The Remains of a 27,000-Year-Old Sloth That Got Stuck in a Sinkhole

The sloth’s tooth, which was discovered in a deep pool in Belize, is helping scientists learn about the animal’s diet and the climate in which it lived

Dental calculus on the lower jaw a medieval woman entrapped lapis lazuli pigment.

Blue Pigments in Medieval Woman’s Teeth Suggest She Was a Highly Skilled Artist

A new study posits the woman was licking brushes covered with pigments of lapis lazuli, a rare and expensive stone used to decorate illuminated manuscripts

New Research

Ancient Ape Was Just the Size of a House Cat

12.5 million-year-old teeth found in Kenya belonged to a species that ate leaves, but was likely outcompeted by an explosion of monkeys

Cool Finds

Military Invests in ‘Molar Mic’ That Can Route Calls Through Your Teeth

Too lazy to pick up the phone? Open wide… this new device latches onto your chompers to transmit sound via the cranial bones

Scientists don full-body suits to minimize contamination and disturbance of the precious artifacts uncovered in the 1617 church in Jamestown, Virginia, where a new skeleton awaits identification.

A Jamestown Skeleton is Unearthed, but Only Time—and Science—Will Reveal His True Identity

Jamestown Rediscovery archeologists use new technology to uncover the bones of one of the first English colonists

Due to their ubiquity at archaeological sites, teeth are like the pennies of ancient human remains. But unlike pennies, fossil chompers can be a treasure trove.

How Ancient Teeth Reveal the Roots of Humankind

From diet to evolution, prehistoric chompers tell archaeologists a surprising amount about our ancestors

Double burial of two plague victims in the Samara region, Russia

Bacteria in Ancient Teeth Push Back Origins of the Bubonic Plague

The deadly disease may have been transmitted to humans at least 800 years earlier than previously believed

New Research

Hitler’s Teeth Confirm He Died in 1945

The first examination of Hitler’s teeth permitted in 70 years shows the complicated dental work matches the Fuhrer’s medical records

Tooth-mounted sensor

This Tiny Tooth Sensor Could Keep Track of the Food You Eat

The tooth-mounted device can recognize glucose, salt and alcohol, and researchers hope it can one day detect much more

The truth is in the tooth

New Research Dispels the Myth That Ancient Cultures Had Universally Short Lifespans

Teeth are key to identifying elderly remains

A baby gray whale surfaces in Magdalena Bay, Baja, Mexico.

A Whale’s Baleen Bristles Reveal the Story of Its Life

Like tree rings, these layered plates hold chemical clues to how the animals adapt to a changing world

The Neanderthal teeth, including the impacted molar

New Research

Neanderthals May Have Used Toothpicks to Treat Aching Teeth

A Neanderthal living in what is now Croatia and wore grooves in his or her teeth trying to soothe the pain

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Do Other Animals Have Baby Teeth and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Why These Vegetarian Monkeys Have Sharp Predator Teeth

In the Ethiopian highlands, native Geladas have impressive canines despite being grass eaters. The reason is simple: The males need to defend themselves

The El Graeco jawbone

New Research

Controversial Study Claims Apes and Human Ancestors Split in Southern Europe

Researchers believe these 7.2-million-year-old teeth have a lot to say about human evolution

Computer-assisted reconstruction of the cavities

New Research

13,000-Year-Old Fillings Were “Drilled” With Stone and Packed With Tar

You can’t handle the tooth

How did the sabertooth cat wield its excess of tooth?

How Did Sabercats Use Those Outlandish Fangs?

We’ve barely scratched the surface of how this charismatic cat utilized its dental cutlery

Paleo diet? Not so much. Thanks to Neanderthal dental plaque, researchers are getting a much better idea of what our ancestors actually dined on.

New Research

Scientists Delve Into Neanderthal Dental Plaque to Understand How They Lived and Ate

The plaque that coated Neanderthal teeth is shedding new light on how our ancestors ate, self-medicated and interacted with humans

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