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Smith TM, Ávila JN, Arora M, Austin C, Drake T, Kinaston R, Sudron E, Wang Y, Williams IS. Brief communication: New method for measuring nitrogen isotopes in tooth dentine at high temporal resolution. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 185:e24991. [PMID: 38923412 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) are widely used to study human nursing and weaning ages. Conventional methods involve sampling 1-mm thick sections of tooth dentine-producing an averaging effect that integrates months of formation. We introduce a novel protocol for measuring δ15N by multicollector secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). MATERIALS AND METHODS We sampled dentine δ15N on a weekly to monthly basis along the developmental axis in two first molars of healthy children from Australia and New Zealand (n = 217 measurements). Nitrogen isotope ratios were determined from measurements of CN- secondary molecular ions in ~35 μm spots. By relating spot position to enamel formation, we identified prenatal dentine, as well as sampling ages over more than 3 years. We also created calcium-normalized barium and strontium maps with laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. RESULTS We found rapid postnatal δ15N increases of ~2‰-3‰, during which time the children were exclusively breastfed, followed by declines as the breastfeeding frequency decreased. After weaning, δ15N values remained stable for several months, coinciding with diets that did not include meat or cow's milk; values then varied by ~2‰ starting in the third year of life. Barium did not show an immediate postnatal increase, rising after a few months until ~1-1.5 years of age, and falling until or shortly after the cessation of suckling. Initial strontium trends varied but both individuals peaked months after weaning. DISCUSSION Developmentally informed SIMS measurements of δ15N minimize time averaging and can be precisely related to an individual's early dietary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M Smith
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Janaína N Ávila
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Manish Arora
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Christine Austin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Teresa Drake
- Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rebecca Kinaston
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- BioArch South, Waitati, New Zealand
| | - Emma Sudron
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yue Wang
- Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Ian S Williams
- Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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Nava A, Lugli F, Lemmers S, Cerrito P, Mahoney P, Bondioli L, Müller W. Reading children's teeth to reconstruct life history and the evolution of human cooperation and cognition: The role of dental enamel microstructure and chemistry. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105745. [PMID: 38825260 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Studying infants in the past is crucial for understanding the evolution of human life history and the evolution of cooperation, cognition, and communication. An infant's growth, health, and mortality can provide information about the dynamics and structure of a population, their cultural practices, and the adaptive capacity of a community. Skeletal remains provide one way of accessing this information for humans recovered prior to the historical periods. Teeth in particular, are retrospective archives of information that can be accessed through morphological, micromorphological, and biogeochemical methods. This review discusses how the microanatomy and formation of teeth, and particularly enamel, serve as archives of somatic growth, stress, and the environment. Examining their role in the broader context of human evolution, we discuss dental biogeochemistry and emphasize how the incremental growth of tooth microstructure facilitates the reconstruction of temporal data related to health, diet, mobility, and stress in past societies. The review concludes by considering tooth microstructure as a biomarker and the potential clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Nava
- Department of Odontostomatological and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, via Caserta 6, Rome 00161, Italy.
| | - Federico Lugli
- Institut of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE), Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Chemical and Geological Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Giuseppe Campi, 103, Modena 41125, Italy
| | - Simone Lemmers
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., AREA Science Park, s.s. 14 km 163,500, Basovizza, Trieste, Italy; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paola Cerrito
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Mahoney
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Giles Ln, Giles Ln, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, UK
| | - Luca Bondioli
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Padua, Piazza Capitaniato, 7, Padua 35139, Italy
| | - Wolfgang Müller
- Institut of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE), Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Riccomi G, Simonit R, Maudet S, Scott E, Lucas M, Giuffra V, Roberts P. Diets, stress, and disease in the Etruscan society: Isotope analysis and infantile skeletal palaeopathology from Pontecagnano (Campania, southern Italy, 730-580 BCE). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302334. [PMID: 38748638 PMCID: PMC11095689 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Susceptibility to morbidity and mortality is increased in early life, yet proactive measures, such as breastfeeding and weaning practices, can be taken through specific investments from parents and wider society. The extent to which such biosocialcultural investment was achieved within 1st millennium BCE Etruscan society, of whom little written sources are available, is unkown. This research investigates life histories in non-adults and adults from Pontecagnano (southern Italy, 730-580 BCE) in order to track cross-sectional and longitudinal breastfeeding and weaning patterns and to characterize the diet more broadly. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of incrementally-sampled deciduous and permanent dentine (n = 15), bulk bone collagen (n = 38), and tooth enamel bioapatite (n = 21) reveal the diet was largely based on C3 staple crops with marginal contributions of animal protein. Millet was found to play a role for maternal diet and trajectories of breastfeeding and feeding for some infants and children at the site. The combination of multiple isotope systems and tissues demonstrates exclusive breastfeeding was pursued until 0.6 years, followed by progressive introduction of proteanocius supplementary foods during weaning that lasted between approximately 0.7 and 2.6 years. The combination of biochemical data with macroscopic skeletal lesions of infantile metabolic diseases and physiological stress markers showed high δ15Ndentine in the months prior to death consistent with the isotopic pattern of opposing covariance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Riccomi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Division of Paleopathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
| | - Rachele Simonit
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Division of Paleopathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Erin Scott
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
| | - Mary Lucas
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, isoTROPIC Research Group, Jena, Germany
| | - Valentina Giuffra
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Division of Paleopathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Patrick Roberts
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, isoTROPIC Research Group, Jena, Germany
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Sudron EL, Kinaston RL, Cawte H, Kleffmann T, Kumar A, Kramer R, Stirling C, Reid M, Barr D, McStay A, Lawrence M, King K, Halcrow SE. Extracting the truth through chemical analyses: Early life histories of Victorian-era dental patients in Aotearoa New Zealand. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:141-156. [PMID: 37925739 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES There are few bioarcheological analyses of life experiences in colonial period Aotearoa New Zealand, despite this being a time of major adaptation and social change. In our study, early life histories are constructed from multi-isotope and enamel peptide analysis of permanent first molars associated with Victorian era dental practices operating between AD 1881 and 1905 in Invercargill. Chemical analyses of the teeth provide insight into the childhood feeding practices, diet, and mobility of the people who had their teeth extracted. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four permanent left mandibular first molars were analyzed from a cache of teeth discovered at the Leviathan Gift Depot site during excavations in 2019. The methods used were: (1) enamel peptide analysis to assess chromosomal sex; (2) bulk (δ13 Ccarbonate ) and incremental (δ13 Ccollagen and δ15 N) isotope analysis of dentin to assess childhood diet; and (3) strontium (87 Sr/86 Sr) and oxygen (δ18 O) isotope analysis of enamel to assess childhood residency. Two modern permanent first molars from known individuals were analyzed as controls. RESULTS The archaeological teeth were from three chromosomal males and one female. The protein and whole diets were predominately based on C3 -plants and domestic animal products (meat and milk). A breastfeeding signal was only identified in one historic male. All individuals likely had childhood residences in Aotearoa. DISCUSSION Unlike most bioarcheological studies that rely on the remains of the dead, the teeth analysed in this study were extracted from living people. We suggest that the dental patients were likely second or third generation colonists to Aotearoa, with fairly similar childhood diets. They were potentially lower-class individuals either living in, or passing through, the growing colonial center of Invercargill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Sudron
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
| | - Rebecca L Kinaston
- Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
- BioArch South, Waitati, New Zealand
| | - Hayden Cawte
- New Zealand Heritage Properties, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand
| | - Torsten Kleffmann
- Centre for Protein Research, Research Infrastructure Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Abhishek Kumar
- North Region Environmental, California Department of Transportation, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Robyn Kramer
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Claudine Stirling
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Malcolm Reid
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - David Barr
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Amy McStay
- New Zealand Heritage Properties, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand
| | - Megan Lawrence
- New Zealand Heritage Properties, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand
| | - Kathryn King
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Siân E Halcrow
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Smith TM, Arora M, Bharatiya M, Dirks W, Austin C. Brief Communication: Elemental Models of Primate Nursing and Weaning Revisited. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:216-223. [PMID: 37406034 PMCID: PMC10099337 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Objectives Intra-tooth patterns of trace elements barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) have been used to infer human and nonhuman primate nursing histories, including australopithecine and Neanderthal juveniles. Here we contrast the two elemental models in first molars (M1s) of four wild baboons and explore the assumptions that underlie each. Materials and Methods Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was employed to create comprehensive calcium-normalized barium and strontium (Ba/Ca, Sr/Ca) maps of M1 enamel and dentine at 35 micron resolution. Results Postnatal Ba/Ca values were typically high, peaking ~0.5 years of age and then decreasing throughout M1 crown formation; all four individuals showed minimal Ba/Ca values between ~1.2-1.8 years, consistent with field reports of the cessation of suckling. Enamel Sr/Ca did not support patterns of previous LA-ICP-MS spot sampling as the enamel rarely showed discrete Sr/Ca secretory zonation. Increases in Sr/Ca appeared in coronal dentine beginning ~0.3 years, with varied peak value ages (~0.7-2.7 years) and no evidence of a predicted postweaning decline. Discussion Inferences of baboon weaning ages from initial Ba/Ca minima are more congruent with behavioral observations than Sr/Ca maxima; this is consistent with studies of captive macaques of known weaning ages. Elemental variation is more apparent in the coronal dentine than the enamel of these baboons, which may relate to its more rapid mineralization and protection from the oral environment. Inferences of nursing histories from enamel Sr/Ca patterns alone should be reconsidered, and elevated values of Ba/Ca and Sr/Ca in teeth formed after weaning require further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M. Smith
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural ResearchGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
- Australian Research Centre for Human EvolutionGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
| | - Manish Arora
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public HealthIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Maya Bharatiya
- Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural ResearchGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
- Australian Research Centre for Human EvolutionGriffith UniversityNathanAustralia
| | - Wendy Dirks
- Department of AnthropologyDurham UniversityDurhamUK
| | - Christine Austin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public HealthIcahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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Smith TM, Cook L, Dirks W, Green DR, Austin C. Teeth reveal juvenile diet, health and neurotoxicant exposure retrospectively: What biological rhythms and chemical records tell us. Bioessays 2021; 43:e2000298. [PMID: 33721363 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Integrated developmental and elemental information in teeth provide a unique framework for documenting breastfeeding histories, physiological disruptions, and neurotoxicant exposure in humans and our primate relatives, including ancient hominins. Here we detail our method for detecting the consumption of mothers' milk and exploring health history through the use of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) mapping of sectioned nonhuman primate teeth. Calcium-normalized barium and lead concentrations in tooth enamel and dentine may reflect milk and formula consumption with minimal modification during subsequent tooth mineralization, particularly in dentine. However, skeletal resorption during severe illness, and bioavailable metals in nonmilk foods, can complicate interpretations of nursing behavior. We show that explorations of the patterning of multiple elements may aid in the distinction of these important etiologies. Targeted studies of skeletal chemistry, gastrointestinal maturation, and the dietary bioavailability of metals are needed to optimize these unique records of human health and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya M Smith
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia.,Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia
| | - Luisa Cook
- School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Wendy Dirks
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, Durham, UK
| | - Daniel R Green
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christine Austin
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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Dean MC, Le Cabec A, Van Malderen SJ, Garrevoet J. Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging of strontium incorporated into the enamel and dentine of wild-shot orangutan canine teeth. Arch Oral Biol 2020; 119:104879. [DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2020.104879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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