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SUMMARY:Deciphering the enamel and dental development in hominins. The imp
 ortance of the Atapuerca dental remains - Mario Modesta Mata (CENIEH\, Bur
 gos)
DTSTART:20171011T153000Z
DTEND:20171011T163000Z
UID:TALK85721@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Ann Van Baelen
DESCRIPTION:From the beginning of human evolutionary studies\, there has b
 een much debate concerning the development of hominins. The age at death o
 f the nicknamed "Taung child"\, published in 1925 as the type specimen of 
 Australopithecus africanus\, was estimated using modern human standards. S
 ince the Taung child dead occurred just when the permanent first molar was
  erupting\, the authors assumed that this individual was six years. In  19
 26  Bolk suggested the possibility that the Taung child had a development 
 similar to that of the extant apes. Therefore\, she/he could have dead at 
 the age of three. Fortunately\, the precise knowledge of the enamel histol
 ogy that emerged in the midpart of the 80’s\, allowed scientists to brea
 k this vicious circle and directly calculate enamel formation times and ag
 e at deaths.\n\nUnderstanding how enamel is histologically formed\, as wel
 l as the new techniques that are being gradually applied in dental histolo
 gy\, as computerized microtomography\, synchrotron\, specific confocal and
  scanning electron microscopes\, statistical procedures... are helping us 
 to broaden our knowledge and comprehension of how our ancestors were biolo
 gically enlarging and modifying the pattern of their ontogenetic trajector
 ies by the study of dental development.\n\nThe Sierra de Atapuerca archaeo
 -palaeontological sites become relevant in this debate because they have p
 rovided a large collection of teeth belonging to all human species who set
 tled Europe from 1.5 million years ago until present. This time period is 
 particularly important\, since dental evidence is very scarce\, at least u
 ntil the emergence of so-called classical Neandertals about 200\,000 years
  ago.\n
LOCATION:BioAnth Lecture Theatre (Room 41)\, Division of Biological Anthro
 pology\, Pembroke Street\, Cambridge\, CB2 3QG
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