JAKARTA - A 300 million year old fossil found in the United States sheds new light on how climate change is affecting the appearance of our teeth today.
Researchers at the University of Bristol, UK say this newly discovered extinct reptile species reveals the earliest known origins of mammalian incisors, canines and molars.
"The teeth show a clear difference in shape between the front and back of the jaw, arranged into different regions," said Dr. Suresh Singh of the Bristol School of Earth Sciences, launches Euronews 17 January.
"These were the basic precursors of what today's mammals have, incisors and canines at the front, with molars at the back," he said.
The reptilian creature, officially known as the manni Shashajaia, has large fang-like teeth that are different from other similar animals found in the Late Carboniferous period. During this time, giant insects roam the land and swamp rainforests cover most of the planet.
Dr. Singh said this is the oldest record of a tooth like this that has been found in our evolutionary history.
When comparing the jaws of the Shashajaia fossils with other similar ancient creatures, scientists found that their teeth began to change 300 million years ago. Around this time the abundant wetlands were replaced by seasonal, drier environments due to global climate change.
The available food changed, became more diverse, so the new fossils suggest these teeth were an evolutionary adaptation, to help long-extinct reptiles catch prey.
What can fossils tell us about climate change? This ancient fossil was found in an area known as the Valley of the Gods in Utah, United States, an area of great importance to paleontologists.
Records of ancient creatures were originally discovered in 1989 by Dr. David Berman, whose decades of work led to the area being declared a National Monument in 2016.
To note, one of the many ways scientists predict how rising carbon dioxide levels will change the planet in the future is by looking at how it has responded in the past.
"Understanding changes in the fossil assemblage over time will explain how climate change can drastically alter ecosystems in deep time, as well as in the present," said lead author Dr. Adam Huttenlocker of the University of Southern California.
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