Study: Milk teeth appeared early in Neanderthals

London-Sana

A recent study found that the teeth of a Neanderthal child grew earlier and faster than they are in modern humans, whose milk teeth appear at the age of seven to ten months, and remain in place for about six years, then are replaced by permanent teeth.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, and conducted by an international team led by researchers from the University of London, relied on previous research that confirmed that the enamel covering primary teeth grows in a daily cycle, giving them intersecting cracks that enable seeing the amount of tooth growth per day through the distance between the lines.

The researchers used this information while studying the brown teeth of a Neanderthal child who lived approximately 120,000 years ago near what is now the city of Krapina in Croatia. Sometime between four and seven months of age, several months before they appear in modern humans.

The researchers confirmed their findings by comparing what they found with another jawbone from a Neanderthal, preserved with three intact teeth.

From this, the researchers concluded that it is possible that Neanderthal children began eating solid food earlier than in the case of modern humans, noting that Neanderthals may have needed to start eating a variety of foods earlier than modern humans because He needed more energy to fuel his large brain which was larger than the brains of modern humans.