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General_Effort@lemmy.world to science@lemmy.worldEnglish · 2 months ago

Teeth first evolved as sensory tissue in the armored exoskeletons of ancient fish, fossil scans find

phys.org

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Teeth first evolved as sensory tissue in the armored exoskeletons of ancient fish, fossil scans find

phys.org

General_Effort@lemmy.world to science@lemmy.worldEnglish · 2 months ago
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Anyone who has ever squirmed through a dental cleaning can tell you how sensitive teeth can be. This sensitivity gives important feedback about temperature, pressure—and yes, pain—as we bite and chew our food. However, the sensitive parts inside the hard enamel first evolved for something quite different.

WHAT?!

Original paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08944-w

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  • Valmond@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    So that’s why they are so freaking sensitive!

  • go $fsck yourself@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I wonder if this was how sharks got their skin teeth

    • cjoll4@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Holy crap. I’d heard of placoid scales but had no idea they were homologous to teeth. Thank you for sharing.

      • go $fsck yourself@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        It’s just a cool piece of information that it’s impossible not to share.

  • SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml
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    2 months ago

    Stuff evolves from the most unexpected stuff

  • moving to lemme.zip. @lemm.ee
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    1 month ago

    Imagine. You’re a fish just swimming around. You have skin that senses like a humans teeth can sense…a larger creature comes and crunches you and your teeth skin with their gigantic boned armoured jaw.

    And then remember the last time novacaine didn’t work when someone was drilling your teeth.

  • systemglitch@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Makes logical sense, I like it!

    • General_Effort@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 month ago

      It does?

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