Comment on I don't envy the humans pre-dentistry
ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 1 day agoAre you sure about that? We lost so many teeth after the industrialisation of sugar production (machines and slavery) but I’m not sure how bad it was before then.
Comment on I don't envy the humans pre-dentistry
ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 1 day agoAre you sure about that? We lost so many teeth after the industrialisation of sugar production (machines and slavery) but I’m not sure how bad it was before then.
shortypig@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
And our teeth really went downhill after we started reproducing without the quality check provided by survival of the fittest. The remains of hunter gatherers generally have very nice teeth.
deranger@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
I don’t follow the logic. Human teeth would be better if more children died? That “quality check” only applies if an organism dies before mating, which happens usually around teenage years for humans.
ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Nah.
There seems to be a genetic variation that eliminates some or all wisdom teeth. It arose in Asia so long ago that the people who populated North and South America also had it. And in most populations it is still not very prevalent (less than 50%). Despite having been around for ages.
deo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
My mom only had the lower two wisdom teeth, none on top.