The secret life of teeth: Evo-devo models of tooth development
April 11, 2018, Arizona State University
Across the world of mammals, teeth come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Their particular size and shape are the process of millions of years of evolutionary fine-tuning to produce teeth that can effectively break down the foods in an animal's diet. As a result, mammals that are closely related and have a similar menu tend to have teeth that look fairly similar. New research suggests, however, that these similarities may only be "skin deep."
The teeth at the back of our mouths—the molars—have a series of bumps, ridges, and grooves across the chewing surface. This complex dental landscape is the product of the spatial arrangement of cusps, which are conical surface projections that crush food before swallowing. How many cusps there are, how they are positioned, and what size and shape they take together determine our molar's overall form or configuration.
Read more at:
https://phys.org/news/2018-04-secret-life-teeth-evo-devo-tooth.html#jCp
