7 April 2005
Toothless in Dmanisi
The beautifully preserved skull pictured on the left is from Dmanisi in the republic of Georgia, a site that has already yielded archaeological evidence for the presence of early Homo outside Africa 1.77 million years ago. The notable thing about the new find is its teeth, or rather its tooth. This individual lost all but one tooth some years before death. He or she may have eaten soft plant and animal foods that didn't require heavy chewing — or perhaps other individuals in the social group gave support beyond that offered by non-human primates.
Anthropology: The earliest toothless hominin skull
DAVID LORDKIPANIDZE et al.
Nature 434, 717 (2005); doi:10.1038/434717b
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