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Science 27 August 1993:
Vol. 261. no. 5125, pp. 1162 - 1164
DOI: 10.1126/science.8356448
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Articles

Science, Vol 261, Issue 5125, 1162-1164
Copyright © 1993 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Life history variables preserved in dental cementum microstructure

DE Lieberman

Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.

The age and season of death of mammals, as well as other aspects of their life history, can be estimated from seasonal bands in dental cementum that result from variations in microstructure. Scanning electron micrographs of goats fed controlled diets demonstrate that cementum bands preserve variations in the relative orientation of collagen fibers that reflect changes in the magnitude and frequency of occlusal forces from chewing different quality diets. Changes in the rate of tissue growth are also reflected in cementum bands as variations in the degree of mineralization.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)