Anthropology researchers co-author Nature paper on tooth evolution
Four researchers in the Department of Anthropology are co-authors on a new Nature paper discussing dental microstructure and tooth evolution. "Enamel nanocrystal misorientation increased with meat-eating and agriculture" was published on June 4, 2026 and "casts light on dietary shifts as humans evolved," according to Nature.
Second lead author Mackie O'Hara, now at Ball State University, earned her PhD from Ohio State's Department of Anthropology. Co-authors Scott McGraw and Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg are both current professors in the Department of Anthropology, and Emma Lagan is an alumna and current post-doc in the department.
Read the Nature news article Read the University of Wisconsin press release
Cover image: The enamel crystal nanostructure from six species within stylized drawings of each species’ molar.
Credit: artist anthropologist Emma Lagan
PELICAN maps: Pupa Gilbert