The History Of Teeth, From Ancient Fish To Humans
17:07 minutes
Your teeth don’t just chew your food—they connect you to the deepest of deep history on Earth. Teeth have existed, in some form, for half a billion years, making them more than 250 million years older than dinosaurs. They came before the evolution of warm bloodedness, eggs, and even limbs. From that very first set of chompers emerged a bewildering and diverse group of teeth, including narwhal tusks, sharks’ pearly teeth, snake fangs, and, of course, ours.
Now teeth are the subject of a new book called Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth from Hagfish to Humans. Guest host Maggie Koerth talks with zoologist and author Dr. Bill Schutt about how teeth evolved, why they’re so neat, and what we can learn from studying them.
Read an excerpt of Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth from Hagfish to Humans.
Further Reading
- Listen to our “Ask a Dentist” segment, with audience questions about all things teeth.
- Read about strange animal mouths via the BBC.
Segment Guests
Bill Schutt
Bill Schutt is a zoologist and author of Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth from Hagfish to Human. He’s based in New York, New York.
Segment Transcript
The transcript of this segment is being processed. It will be available within one week after the show airs.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Rasha Aridi
@RashaAridiRasha Aridi is a producer for Science Friday. She loves stories about weird critters, science adventures, and the intersection of science and history.
About Maggie Koerth
Maggie Koerth is a science journalist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.