3D Printing Gives Evolutionary Theory More Bite

Micro-CT scanning and 3D printing allow scientists to digitally dissect fossils, providing some of the earliest known evidence of tooth-like structures in primitive jawed fishes.

AsianScientist (Oct. 5, 2016) – 3D prints of a 400 million-year-old fish fossil from southeast Australia have revealed the possible evolutionary origins of human teeth, according to research published in Biology Letters.

The team from the Australian National University and Queensland Museum found that the extinct placoderms had real teeth, contradicting previous findings.

The researchers digitally dissected the jaws of a fossil Buchanosteus, an armored fish from the extinct placoderm group, and used the 3D prints to learn how the jaws moved and whether the fish had teeth. The research team used high-resolution CT scanning to investigate the ancient fish fossil, which was found about 50 km northwest of Canberra.

Corresponding author Dr. Gavin Young said the study helped determine when and how teeth—a characteristic feature of all animal species with jaws, including humans—had originated in evolutionary history.

“Placoderms have been a common focus in the question of tooth origins. Our team has been able to examine the gnathal plates of placoderms from the Early Devonian period, and compare their internal and external structure with those of younger placoderms as well as with the true teeth in other jawed fishes,” said Dr. Carole Burrow of Queensland Museum.

“We are conducting further research on the internal tissue structure of tooth-like denticles in the mouth of the fish fossil, to determine whether they represent a transitional stage in the evolution of teeth,” said Young.



The article can be found at: Burrow et al. (2016) Placoderms and the Evolutionary Origin of Teeth: A Comment on Rücklin & Donoghue (2015).

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Source: Australian National University.
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