
. Earth Science News .

The evolutionary origins of our pretty smile
by Staff Writers
Bristol UK (SPX) Oct 18, 2012

File image.

It takes both teeth and jaws to make a pretty smile, but the evolutionary origins of these parts of our anatomy have only just been discovered, thanks to a particle accelerator and a long dead fish.

All living jawed vertebrates (animals with backbones, such as humans) have teeth, but it has long been thought that the first jawed vertebrates lacked pearly gnashers, instead capturing prey with gruesome scissor-like jaw-bones.

However new research, led by the University of Bristol and published in Nature, shows that these earliest jawed vertebrates possessed teeth too indicating that teeth evolved along with, or soon after, the evolution of jaws.


The international team studied fossils of Compagopiscis using high energy X-rays at the Swiss Light Source at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland, revealing the structure and development of teeth and bones.




Co-author Zerina Johanson from the Natural History Museum said: "These wonderfully preserved fossils from Australia yield many secrets of our evolutionary ancestry but research has been held back waiting for the kind of non-destructive technology that we used in this study.

"Without the collaborations between palaeontologists and physicists, our evolutionary history would remain hidden in the rocks."




Related Links
University of Bristol
All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here


Share this article via these popular social media networks DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Memory Foam Mattress Review

Nasty noises: Why do we recoil at unpleasant sounds
Newcastle UK (SPX) Oct 15, 2012
Heightened activity between the emotional and auditory parts of the brain explains why the sound of chalk on a blackboard or a knife on a bottle is so unpleasant. In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience and funded by the Wellcome Trust, Newcastle University scientists reveal the interaction between the region of the brain that processes sound, the auditory cortex, and the amygdala, ... read more

Tiny travelers from deep space could assist in healing Fukushima's nuclear scar

Climate change helps drive N. America disasters: re-insurer

French broadcaster apologises to Japan over Fukushima gag

Planning can cut costs of disasters: World Bank

Mapping The Universe In 3-D

Physicists crack another piece of the glass puzzle

Worldwide smartphone users top 1 bn: report

New paper reveals fundamental chemistry of plasma/liquid interactions

LSU research team shows negative impact of nutrients on coastal ecosystems

Why Are Coastal Salt Marshes Falling Apart?

Mathematics and the Ocean: Movement, Mixing and Climate Modeling

Coral reefs and food security: Study shows nations at risk

Ice sheet retreat controlled by the landscape

1 by land and 1 by sea

NASA's Operation IceBridge Resumes Flights Over Antarctica

Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches New Maximum Extent

U of M scientist contributes to mapping of barley genome

Green leaf volatiles increase plant fitness via biocontrol

Viral alliances overcoming plant defenses

Pollenizer Research Should Help Seedless Watermelon Farmers

Could a Hurricane Ever Strike Southern California?

Study advances understanding of volcanic eruptions

Pakistan floods kill 455, affect five million

Tropical cyclones are occurring more frequently than before

Life expectancy shoots up to 60 in SAfrica: study

Africa faces spike in older people living with HIV


Liberian president in Ivory Coast to discuss border security

Novel chewing gum formulation helps prevent motion sickness

Discovery of two opposite ways humans voluntarily forget unwanted memories

The evolutionary origins of our pretty smile

Outside View: Give us a little credit
