Evolution's Bite: A Story Of Teeth, Diet, And Human Origins
by Peter S. Ungar /
2017 / English / PDF
32.4 MB Download
What teeth can teach us about the evolution of the human
species
What teeth can teach us about the evolution of the human
species
Whether we realize it or not, we carry in our mouths the legacy
of our evolution. Our teeth are like living fossils that can be
studied and compared to those of our ancestors to teach us how we
became human. In
Whether we realize it or not, we carry in our mouths the legacy
of our evolution. Our teeth are like living fossils that can be
studied and compared to those of our ancestors to teach us how we
became human. InEvolution's Bite
Evolution's Bite, noted
paleoanthropologist Peter Ungar brings together for the first
time cutting-edge advances in understanding human evolution and
climate change with new approaches to uncovering dietary clues
from fossil teeth to present a remarkable investigation into the
ways that teeth--their shape, chemistry, and wear--reveal how we
came to be.
, noted
paleoanthropologist Peter Ungar brings together for the first
time cutting-edge advances in understanding human evolution and
climate change with new approaches to uncovering dietary clues
from fossil teeth to present a remarkable investigation into the
ways that teeth--their shape, chemistry, and wear--reveal how we
came to be.
Ungar describes how a tooth's "foodprints"--distinctive patterns
of microscopic wear and tear--provide telltale details about what
an animal actually ate in the past. These clues, combined with
groundbreaking research in paleoclimatology, demonstrate how a
changing climate altered the food options available to our
ancestors, what Ungar calls the biospheric buffet. When diets
change, species change, and Ungar traces how diet and an
unpredictable climate determined who among our ancestors was
winnowed out and who survived, as well as why we transitioned
from the role of forager to farmer. By sifting through the
evidence--and the scars on our teeth--Ungar makes the important
case for what might or might not be the most natural diet for
humans.
Ungar describes how a tooth's "foodprints"--distinctive patterns
of microscopic wear and tear--provide telltale details about what
an animal actually ate in the past. These clues, combined with
groundbreaking research in paleoclimatology, demonstrate how a
changing climate altered the food options available to our
ancestors, what Ungar calls the biospheric buffet. When diets
change, species change, and Ungar traces how diet and an
unpredictable climate determined who among our ancestors was
winnowed out and who survived, as well as why we transitioned
from the role of forager to farmer. By sifting through the
evidence--and the scars on our teeth--Ungar makes the important
case for what might or might not be the most natural diet for
humans.
Traveling the four corners of the globe and combining scientific
breakthroughs with vivid narrative,
Traveling the four corners of the globe and combining scientific
breakthroughs with vivid narrative,Evolution's Bite
Evolution's Bite
presents a unique dental perspective on our astonishing human
development.
presents a unique dental perspective on our astonishing human
development.