Ancient Tiny Teeth Reveal First Mammals Lived More like Reptiles (IMAGE)

University of Bristol

Ancient Tiny Teeth Reveal First Mammals Lived More like Reptiles

Caption

Long: Scientists count fossilised growth rings in teeth like tree-rings to find out how long the earliest mammals lived. From left to right: reconstruction of Morganucodon; Morganucodon tooth with cementum, the structure that locks tooth roots to the gum, highlighted in green; as it grows non-stop throughout life, cementum deposits every year like tree rings, highlighted using coloured arrows; These were turned into 3D models to count 14 years of life in the shrew- sized Morganucodon. Short: Scientists count fossilised growth rings in teeth like tree-rings to find out how long the earliest mammals lived.

Credit

Graphics: Nuria Melisa Morales Garcia. Morganucodon based on Bob Nicholls/ Palaeocreations 2018 model

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