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New research shows that the evolution of human teeth is much simpler than previously thought. We can predict the sizes of teeth missing from human fossils and those of our extinct close relatives (hominins). A new study took a fresh look at the teeth of humans and fossil hominins. The research confirms that molars, including wisdom teeth, do follow the sizes predicted by what is called ‘the inhibitory cascade’ – a rule that shows how the size of one tooth affects the size of the tooth next to it.
This is important because it indicates that human evolution was a lot simpler than scientists had previously thought.Image credit: David Hocking
