neanderthal genes plays a part in size of teeth among europeans: study
neanderthal genes among people with european ancestry p...
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neanderthal genes appears to play a part in the size of teeth among people with european ancestry.
marina demeshko / istock
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neanderthal genes among people with european ancestry play a part in the size of their teeth, according to a new study. and scientists say inbreeding with the human-like species thousands of years ago continues to influence the genetic differences among human beings.
according to the study by researchers at university college london, about 880 volunteers from colombia with mixed ancestry — european, indigenous and african — offered the use of their teeth measurements taken from dental plaster casts.
the researchers compared the measurements with the volunteers’ genetic background and identified 18 genome regions that control the size and shape of different groups of teeth.
and one of these genes can be traced back to neanderthals, which leads to thinner incisors — the eight front teeth.
the gene was only found among people with european descent, said the study, published in the journal current biology.
“the ‘thickness’ of the incisors we are talking about is the overall dimension of the incisor from front to back, not the thickness of the enamel layer,” the study’s lead author dr. kaustubh adhikari said, according to britain’s daily mail.
“the variation in overall thickness that we observe, given that these are all healthy people with no dental malformations, is modest.”
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adhikari noted that having thinner teeth doesn’t mean they are more prone to cracking or sensitivity.
“in other words, the slightly thinner teeth that some of these people have, due to the gene we identified, is not a bad thing,” he said.
“so nothing to worry about — it’s all part of normal human variation.”
another researcher said the findings are inconclusive about whether evolutionary advantages played a part in the size and shape of teeth.
“our findings did not shed light on whether the genes that identify tooth shape were selected in evolution due to particular advantages to dental health,” co-lead author professor andres ruiz-linares said.
“so it’s possible that the genes may have been selected due to the influences they have in other areas, with tooth shape differences resulting as a side effect.”
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