Department of Statistics, The Ohio State University
Statistics and Biostatistics Colloquium Series

This talk will focus on aspects of tooth enamel formation in Neandertals as they compare to three modern human population samples from diverse regions (Point Hope, Alaska; Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England; Southern Africa). Neandertals lived between 150,000 years ago and 30,000 years ago in Europe and the Middle East. Anatomically, they differed from modern humans in many ways, suggesting to some anthropologists that Neandertals were a separate species. Understanding how tooth enamel grew in Neandertals is important for two reasons. First, because dental and body growth are linked, the length of time it takes for enamel to grow provides insight into how long it took for Neandertals to grow up. This is an important question because modern humans are thought to be unique among primates in their extended childhoods. Second, aspects of enamel growth may provide insight into the Neandertal species question. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (D. Guatelli-Steinberg, D.J. Reid, T.A. Bishop, C.S. Larsen) showed that enamel formation times in the anterior teeth of Neandertals are encompassed within the modern human range of inter-population variation. If the growth of anterior teeth reflects overall growth periods, then this study suggests that Neandertals and modern humans took the same amount of time to reach adulthood. Although not discussed in that study, continuing analysis suggests that: (1) The modern human population samples show greater similarity to each other than any of them do to Neandertals in their enamel growth curves; and (2) The Neandertal pattern of enamel growth across anterior tooth types appears to diverge from that of the modern human samples. Statistical analysis of these last two points, which may shed light on the Neandertal species question, is currently underway.

Meet the speaker in Room 212 Cockins Hall at 4:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.