British tooth research paves the way for new insights into ancient regimes

This is a sampled skeleton for study, dating from the post-medieval period in Britain Source: Camilla Speller, York University

Goofy, yellow and crooked: The British sometimes smile at a less flattering international image, but a new study took advantage of the tartar of our infamous teeth.

Researchers badyzing British iron age teeth to the present day have unlocked the potential for use Dental plaque accumulates on the surface of teeth for life and is mineralized by components of saliva to form tartar or "dental calculus", by badimilating proteins from the food we eat in the process.

Identifying evidence of many foods, especially plants, in past diets is a challenge as they often leave no trace in the archaeological record. But proteins are robust molecules that can survive in tartar for thousands of years.

Artifact has been shown to conserve milk protein, but the international study, conducted by researchers at the University of York and the Max Planck Institute of Science of Human History, has proven for the first time that it can also reveal more accurate information about a wider range of dietary proteins, including those derived from plants.

The discovery could provide new insights into the diets and lifestyles of our ancestors, adding to the value of dental remains in our understanding of human evolution.

The team plans to use the results of this study to refine its protein detection methods and explore specific areas of ancient dietary research

. Lead author, Dr. Camilla Speller, of York University's Department of Archeology, said, "This approach may be particularly useful in detecting poorly studied plants." He may offer a more accurate method of identifying food products than other methods, such as the badysis of DNA and isotopes old, because it helps to distinguish between different crops and d & # 39; indicate if people have been isolated. "

By badyzing 100 archaeological samples from all over Great Britain, as well as 14 samples of live dental patients and recent deaths, the research team discovered that Potential dietary proteins could be found in about one-third of the cases badyzed.

Dr. Speller added, "In the teeth we observe in people who lived around the time Victor we have identified proteins related to plant foods, including oats, peas and vegetables from the cabbage family.

In modern samples, researchers found proteins that reflected a British diet, such as potatoes, soy and peanuts, as well as milk proteins. 19659005] The first author, Jessica Hendy, of the Department of Archeology of the Max Planck Institute in Germany, said: "Although there are still many things we do not know, this is Is exciting as it shows that archaeological dental calculus contains dietary information, including food products that do not usually survive in archaeological sites. "

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