Episode 51: The Teeth Remember

Your life story is hidden in your teeth. The days, weeks, years, and stressful events of your life are recorded in tiny timelines that can be read by scientists like Leakey Foundation grantee Dr. Tanya Smith.

She and her colleagues used fossil teeth to tell a detailed and intimate story about the lives of two Neanderthal children and the changing world they lived in.

Links

The Tales Teeth Tell 
What teeth can tell about the lives and environments of ancient humans and Neanderthals
Wintertime stress, nursing, and lead exposure in Neanderthal children
Reconstructing hominin life history

Dr. Tanya Smith's website

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Lunch Break Science is The Leakey Foundation's web series featuring short talks and interviews with Leakey Foundation grantees. Episodes stream live on the first and third Thursdays of every month. leakeyfoundation.org/live