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‘Dragon’s Teeth,’ Hedgehogs and Minefields: How Russia Is Preparing to Defend Occupied Ukrainian Areas – The Moscow Times
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It’s time to play the music! After 50 years, Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem release first album to prove ‘rumors of rock’s demise are greatly exaggerated.’ – Yahoo Entertainment
- It’s time to play the music! After 50 years, Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem release first album to prove ‘rumors of rock’s demise are greatly exaggerated.’ Yahoo Entertainment
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Teeth suggest ancestors of diplodocus may have eaten meat | Dinosaurs
With its huge feet, long neck and penchant for plants, the diplodocus may be one of history’s biggest vegetarians. But research has revealed the sauropod’s ancestors may have had a taste for flesh.
Scientists studying the teeth of some of the earliest dinosaurs to roam the Earth say they have uncovered telltale clues as to what they ate.
Dr Antonio Ballell Mayoral, the lead author of the research from the University of Bristol, said that while omnivores, herbivores and carnivores all existed by the Triassic period, their predecessors did not necessarily share the same diets.
“The earliest members of the two main veggie dinosaur lineages were not exclusively herbivorous,” he said.
Writing in the journal Science Advances, Ballell and colleagues report how they analysed the teeth of 11 early dinosaurs including Ngwevu intloko, a long-necked ancestor of sauropods, and Lesothosaurus diagnosticus, an early “bird-hipped” dinosaur, both of which lived about 200m years ago.
“Teeth can give good clues about what an animal eats because they are our tools to break down food,” said Ballell.
As well as looking at the shape and function of the dinosaurs’ teeth, the team made computer models of how stress would be distributed across them when biting.
The team then fed the results into machine-learning algorithms based on the dental features and diets of 47 living reptiles such as iguanas, geckoes, snakes and crocodiles. This allowed the researchers to investigate the types of food that the early dinosaurs were likely to have tucked into.
The results reveal that while Ngwevu intloko and other early relatives of sauropods were likely to have been herbivores, those that lived even earlier – such as Buriolestes schultzi, which roamed up to 237m years ago – appear to have been carnivores based on their curved and bladed teeth, similar to those of today’s Komodo dragon, together with how these teeth handled feeding-related forces.
It also seems that the ancestors of the bird-hipped dinosaurs known as ornithischians – a largely plant-eating group that includes horn-faced dinosaurs such as triceratops and armoured dinosaurs such as stegosaurus – might also have been familiar with the taste of meat. As the authors note, Lesothosaurus diagnosticus had teeth that had greater mechanical resistance than those typical of carnivores, suggesting that while it could have been a herbivore it is also possible it was an omnivore.
The early dietary diversity of dinosaurs was fundamental in their rise and later dominance, allowing them to adapt to changing climates and food resources, wrote the researchers.
Ballell said that while it had traditionally been thought the very earliest dinosaurs were carnivorous, more recent discoveries challenged this. However, the Bristol research suggests carnivory is likely to be ancestral.
Prof Steve Brusatte, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the work, described the research as innovative and inspiring.
“We’ve long wondered how the earliest dinosaurs were able to outlast their competitors and sweep around the world. This new study uses cutting-edge methods to study the diets of the oldest dinosaurs in never-before-seen detail,” he said.
“It looks like the first dinosaurs were probably meat-eaters, and that different groups of dinosaurs changed their diets over time, and this may have helped drive their diversification,” Brusatte added. “Some of the oldest dinosaurs already were experimenting with a wide variety of foods and feeding styles, and I am sure this must have played an important role in helping dinosaurs fill so many niches and become so successful.”
The Internet Is Telling Everyone Not To Brush Your Teeth After Oral, So I Went To An Expert For The Truth
There’s a Weird Link Between Teeth And The Evolution of Pregnancy : ScienceAlert
Human babies pack a lot of growth into those nine months between conception and birth to give them and their meaty, complex brains a chance at survival.
Just how evolution came to grant humans such a comparatively rapid prenatal growth rate has never been clear.
Given how critical brain growth is to early human development, and head size, in turn, influences the size of our jaws, researchers suspected teeth may hold some valuable information on our ancestors’ pregnancies.
Teeth begin to form at around 6 weeks of gestation but don’t develop their hardened exterior layers until the second trimester. From there, the growing layers can retain records of their life history, from weaning to sexual activity.
“Dental remains are the most abundant parts in the fossil record,” explains paleobiologist Leslea Hlusko from the Spanish National Research Center for Human Evolution (CENIEH) making teeth an ideal candidate for sussing out such biological mysteries, if a relationship between them and the process in question can be established.
The team’s previous research in monkeys found slower growth of an unborn animal links to a lack of third molar development, so Hlusko, Western Washington University paleoanthropologist Tesla Monson, and colleagues measured the ratios between third and first molar length in primate species still alive today, to obtain the relative molar size.
They found that prenatal growth rate, head size, and relative molar size did indeed all follow the same pattern across all these primates. So they used this established pattern to delve into our evolutionary history, analyzing primate fossils spanning between 6 million to 12,000 thousand years ago, covering 13 hominid species.
Both cranial and dental remains indicate that prenatal growth rates increased over the last 6 million years. Along with fossilized pelvis and head anatomy, these findings support the theory that long human-like pregnancies evolved within the last few hundred thousand to million years, during the Pleistocene.
As primates transitioned to walking on two legs in the Early Pliocene around 5.333 million years ago, signs of which were starting to be visible in Australopithecus and Ardipithecus fossils, their prenatal growth rates were still more similar to the monkeys and apes alive today, than to ours.
But by the evolution of Homo erectus in the Early Pleistocene, about 2,580,000 years ago, there was a definite shift, which was also reflected in their pelvic anatomy.
“Changing pelvic anatomy, endocranial volume, and predicted prenatal growth rates all provide independent lines of evidence that support human-like pregnancy and birth evolving in the Pleistocene in the later Homo species, before the emergence of Homo sapiens,” the team writes in their paper.
These changes coincide with expanding grasslands and herbivore populations, which may have provided the Homo genus with the extra resources needed to fuel the increase in neonatal size and longer maternal investment.
Advancements in tools that also occurred across this time may be a reflection of our ancestor’s growing brain size, as well as the likely evolution of group hunting, which in turn would have provided even more resources.
“This feedback loop may have in turn allowed for the evolution of even larger brains and increased cranial capacity in later Homo, leading to H. sapiens,” the team concludes.
This research was published in PNAS.
Study shows link between vaping and risk of caries
A vaping habit could end up leading to a tarnished smile, and more frequent visits to the dentist.
Research by faculty from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine found patients who said they used vaping devices were more likely to have a higher risk of developing cavities. With CDC surveys reporting that 9.1 million American adults-;and 2 million teenagers-;use tobacco-based vaping products, that means a lot of vulnerable teeth.
The findings of this study on the association between vaping and risk of caries-;the dental term for cavities-;serve as an alert that this once seemingly harmless habit may be very detrimental, says Karina Irusa, assistant professor of comprehensive care and lead author on the paper. The study was published November 23 in The Journal of the American Dental Association.
Over the last few years, public awareness has increased about the dangers of vaping to systemic health-;particularly after the use of vaping devices was tied to lung disease. Some dental research has shown ties between e-cigarette use and increased markers for gum disease, and, separately, damage to the tooth’s enamel, its outer shell. But relatively little emphasis has been placed on the intersection between e-cigarette use and oral health, even by dentists, says Irusa.
Irusa says that the recent Tufts finding may be just a hint of the damage vaping causes to the mouth. “The extent of the effects on dental health, specifically on dental decay, are still relatively unknown,” she says. “At this point, I’m just trying to raise awareness,” among both dentists and patients.
This study, Irusa says, is the first known specifically to investigate the association of vaping and e-cigarettes with the increased risk for getting cavities. She and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 13,000 patients older than 16 who were treated at Tufts dental clinics from 2019-2022.
While the vast majority of the patients said they did not use vapes, there was a statistically significant difference in dental caries risk levels between the e-cigarette/vaping group and the control group, Irusa found. Some 79% of the vaping patients were categorized as having high-caries risk, compared to just about 60% of the control group. The vaping patients were not asked whether they used devices that contained nicotine or THC, although nicotine is more common.
It’s important to understand this is preliminary data. This is not 100% conclusive, but people do need to be aware of what we’re seeing.”
Karina Irusa, assistant professor of comprehensive care and lead author on the paper
Further studies need to be done, and Irusa wants to take a closer look at how vaping affects the microbiology of saliva.
One reason why e-cigarette use could contribute to a high risk of cavities is the sugary content and viscosity of vaping liquid, which, when aerosolized and then inhaled through the mouth, sticks to the teeth. (A 2018 study published in the journal PLOS One likened the properties of sweet-flavored e-cigarettes to gummy candies and acidic drinks.) Vaping aerosols have been shown to change the oral microbiome making it more hospitable to decay-causing bacteria. It’s also been observed that vaping seems to encourage decay in areas where it usually doesn’t occur-;such as the bottom edges of front teeth. “It takes an esthetic toll,” Irusa says.
The Tufts researchers recommend that dentists should routinely ask about e-cigarette use as part of a patient’s medical history. That includes pediatric dentists who see adolescents-;according to the FDA/CDC, 7.6% of middle- and high-school students said they used e-cigarettes in 2021.
The researchers also suggest patients who use e-cigarettes should be considered for a “more rigorous caries management protocol,” which could include prescription-strength fluoride toothpaste and fluoride rinse, in-office fluoride applications, and checkups more often than twice a year.
“It takes a lot of investment of time and money to manage dental caries, depending on how bad it gets,” Irusa says. “Once you’ve started the habit, even if you get fillings, as long as you continue, you’re still at risk of secondary caries. It’s a vicious cycle that will not stop.”
Steven Eisen of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine is senior author on the paper. Complete information on authors and conflicts of interest is available in the published paper.
Source:
Journal reference:
Irusa, K.F., et al. (2022) A comparison of the caries risk between patients who use vapes or electronic cigarettes and those who do not. The Journal of the American Dental Association. doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2022.09.013.
A study discovers a surprising relationship between the teeth and the evolution of pregnancy
Humans have the highest prenatal growth rate of all extant primates, but how this exceptional rate came about has been a mystery up to now. Leslea Hlusko, a scientist at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), has participated in a study led by Tesla Monson, a paleoanthropologist at Western Washington University (WWU) in the United States), looking at teeth, prenatal growth rates, and the evolution of pregnancy. This research has uncovered a key piece of this jigsaw in an unexpected place: the relative sizes of fossilized molars.
The teeth are indicators of what goes on elsewhere in the body, and this study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows that they can be used like a map to help untangle the effects of the interplay of genetics and development, as well as to improve our understanding of the history of life in the past.
Tesla Monson and her team, which also includes Andrew Weitz, of the Department of Environmental Sciences at WWU, scientists from the Berkeley Geochronology Center (U.S.), and the CENIEH, studied fossils of the primate group which includes the Old World apes and monkeys, as well as data compiled from fossilized molars and skull fragments from the period of the terminal Miocene up to the Plio-Pleistocene, running from about six million to some 12,000 years ago.
The results indicate that the hominids reached a prenatal growth rate setting them apart from all other apes between one million and a half million years ago, long before the human species itself evolved (between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago).
Molars
The prenatal growth rate is closely related to endocranial volume, and surprisingly, to the variation in the proportions of the molars. “This shows that the teeth can be an indicator both of the prenatal growth rate and the size of the brain, which is of special importance for our ability to study the gestational development of our human ancestors, because dental remains are the most abundant parts in the fossil record,” says Hlusko.
This discovery of the relationship between the proportions of the molars and prenatal growth rates has raised many new questions for evolution researchers, such as comprehension of the underlying genetic mechanisms. Another of the key issues is whether this is also found in other mammals.
“While I don’t think that our humanity can be reduced solely to the teeth, I do believe that part of it is recorded in our teeth. This work opens a window for studies of pregnancy and gestation. We can take dental material from human ancestors and other fossil primates to find out what their pregnancies were like,” concludes Monson.
More information:
Tesla A. Monson et al, Teeth, prenatal growth rates, and the evolution of human-like pregnancy in later Homo, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2200689119
Citation:
A study discovers a surprising relationship between the teeth and the evolution of pregnancy (2022, November 8)
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439-Million-Year-Old Fossil Teeth Overturn Long-Held Views About Evolution
Volumetric reconstruction of a tooth whorl viewed from its lingual side (holotype of Qianodus duplicis). The specimen is just over 2 mm in length. Credit: Zhu, et al.
Rare Chinese fossil teeth have changed scientists’ beliefs about the evolution of vertebrates.
An international team of scientists has found toothed fish remains that date back 439 million years, which suggests that the ancestors of modern chondrichthyans (sharks and rays) and osteichthyans (ray- and lobe-finned fish) originated far earlier than previously believed.
The findings were recently published in the prestigious journal Nature.
A remote location in south China’s Guizhou Province has yielded magnificent fossil findings, including solitary teeth identified as belonging to a new species (Qianodus duplicis) of primitive jawed vertebrate from the ancient Silurian period (about 445 to 420 million years ago). Qianodus, named after the ancient name for the present-day Guizhou, possessed unusual spiral-like dental elements carrying several generations of teeth that were inserted throughout the course of the animal’s life.
A reconstruction of Qianodus duplicis swimming. Credit: IVPP
One of the rarest fossils found at the site ended up being the tooth spirals (or whorls) of Qianodus. Due to their tiny size, which seldom exceeds 2.5 mm, they had to be studied under magnification with visible light and X-ray radiation.
A conspicuous feature of the whorls is that they contained a pair of teeth rows set into a raised medial area of the whorl base. These so-called primary teeth exhibit a gradual growth in size as they approach the inner (lingual) whorl. The distinct offset between the two primary teeth rows is what distinguishes the whorls of Qianodus from those of other vertebrates. Although it hasn’t been previously discovered in the tooth whorls of fossil species, a similar arrangement of nearby teeth rows is also present in the dentitions of several modern sharks.
A virtual section along the length of a tooth whorl in side view (holotype of Qianodus duplicis). The specimen is just over 2 mm in length. Credit: Zhu, et al.
The discovery indicates that the well-known jawed vertebrate groups from the so-called “Age of Fishes” (420 to 460 million years ago) were already established some 20 million years earlier.
“Qianodus provides us with the first tangible evidence for teeth, and by extension jaws, from this critical early period of vertebrate evolution,” said Li Qiang from Qujing Normal University.
Unlike the continuously shedding teeth of modern sharks, the researchers believe that the tooth whorls of Qianodus were kept in the mouth and increased in size as the animal grew. This interpretation explains the gradual enlargement of replacement teeth and the widening of the whorl base as a response to the continuous increase in jaw size during development.
For the researchers, the key to reconstructing the growth of the whorls was two specimens at an early stage of formation, easily identified by their noticeably smaller sizes and fewer teeth. A comparison with the more numerous mature whorls provided the paleontologists with a rare insight into the developmental mechanics of early vertebrate dentitions. These observations suggest that primary teeth were the first to form whereas the addition of the lateral (accessory) whorl teeth occurred later in development.
A reconstruction of Qianodus duplicis, a primitive jawed vertebrate. Credit: Zhang Heming
“Despite their peculiarities, tooth whorls have, in fact, been reported in many extinct chondrichthyans and osteichthyan lineages,” said Plamen Andreev, the lead author of the study. “Some of the early chondrichthyans even built their dentition entirely from closely spaced whorls.”
The researchers claim that this was also the case for Qianodus. They made this conclusion after examining the small (1–2 mm long) whorls of the new species with synchrotron radiation—a CT scanning process that uses high-energy X-rays from a particle accelerator.
“We were astonished to discover that the tooth rows of the whorls have a clear left or right offset, which indicates positions on opposing jaw rami,” said Prof. Zhu Min from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
These observations are supported by a phylogenetic tree that identifies Qianodus as a close relative to extinct chondrichthyan groups with whorl-based dentitions.
“Our revised timeline for the origin of the major groups of jawed vertebrates agrees with the view that their initial diversification occurred in the early Silurian,” said Prof. ZHU.
The discovery of Qianodus provides tangible proof for the existence of toothed vertebrates and shark-like dentition patterning tens of millions of years earlier than previously thought. The phylogenetic analysis presented in the study identifies Qianodus as a primitive chondrichthyan, implying that jawed fish were already quite diverse in the Lower Silurian and appeared shortly after the evolution of skeletal mineralization in ancestral lineages of jawless vertebrates.
“This puts into question the current evolutionary models for the emergence of key vertebrate innovations such as teeth, jaws, and paired appendages,” said Ivan Sansom, a co-author of the study from the University of Birmingham.
Reference: “The oldest gnathostome teeth” by Plamen S. Andreev, Ivan J. Sansom, Qiang Li, Wenjin Zhao, Jianhua Wang, Chun-Chieh Wang, Lijian Peng, Liantao Jia, Tuo Qiao, and Min Zhu, 28 September 2022, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05166-2
Michelle Roenz killed: Human teeth and blood found in Humble home before Tyler Roenz arrested in Nebraska following chase
HUMBLE, Texas (KTRK) — A Humble teenager is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle as investigators continue to question him after his mother’s body was found in the trunk of his car following a chase in Nebraska.
Tyler Roenz, 17, and his mother, Michelle Roenz, 49, were reported missing late Thursday morning in a Humble neighborhood.
New details from charging documents highlight the bizarre scene found at the family’s home.
Tyler’s father told Harris County sheriff’s deputies on Thursday that his wife and son were missing and he was unable to contact them. He also said their 2011 Mazda 3 was missing from the home.
The father reportedly told deputies his son was allowed to use the car, but only to go certain places.
After noticing the missing vehicle, Tyler’s father found a human tooth and blood in the garage, documents state. He reportedly followed a trail of blood into the primary bedroom of the house, where he found at least four additional human teeth in a pool of blood.
Investigators reportedly observed other signs of apparent foul play in the home, though it’s unclear what they found.
RELATED: ‘He was really sweet’: Classmates of missing Humble teenager speak after his arrest in Nebraska
The father also found his wife’s cell phone and purse in the home, according to court documents. He tried to track his son’s phone using the app Life360, but discovered his son had deleted the app and his phone was turned off.
Surveillance video reportedly showed the Mazda 3 leaving the house at 11:44 a.m.
Charges on Michelle’s credit card were pinged in Humble, Texas; Richardson, Texas; Atoka, Oklahoma; and Chetopa, Kansas. The car’s license plate also pinged on a reader near Dallas, documents revealed.
After speaking to the father, investigators issued a CLEAR Alert for both Michelle and Tyler.
Investigators alerted the Nebraska State Patrol after receiving information that the vehicle was possibly traveling in the state.
Shortly after the alert, the NSP located the Mazda 3 around two-and-a-half hours west of Omaha, traveling westbound on I-80 near Grand Island, investigators said.
Troopers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver fled.
SEE ALSO: Missing Humble mom’s body was in car involved in chase with son driving, source tells ABC13
The chase, which reached speeds over 110 mph, ended in a crash, investigators said. The Mazda reportedly attempted to slow down but struck the rear of a semi-truck, left the roadway, and hit a tree in a ditch.
Troopers found Tyler behind the wheel of the car. He was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries, deputies said. At last check, he was still hospitalized.
“The crash occurred near Aurora, Nebraska,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet. “The male driver has been identified as missing teen Tyler Roenz. Tyler is being treated at a hospital and said to be in serious condition.”
In the trunk of the crashed car, investigators found the body of Michelle. Initial reports indicate she died from strangulation and blunt force trauma, HCSO said.
Homicide investigators are working with Nebraska authorities to extradite Tyler back to Texas. Investigators urge anyone with information to contact the HCSO homicide unit at (713) 274-9100.
Michelle was described as a fierce animal advocate, mother and wife, and was well-regarded, neighbors said.
Tyler was more mysterious. According to court documents, he was charged with attempted sexual assault earlier in 2022 and was out on a $10,000 bond. He’s accused of attacking an 18-year-old girl in his car, ripping her shirt off, and grabbing her in a school parking lot.
He is not enrolled in Humble ISD, where his sister was a valedictorian in 2020.
Humble ISD confirmed that the teenager was a former student in their district.
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