Dental microwear texture analysis of Homo sapiens sapiens: Foragers, farmers, and pastoralists

Abstract

Objectives The current study seeks to determine if a sample of foragers, farmers, and pastoralists are distinguishable based on their dental microwear texture signatures. Materials and methods The study included a sample of 719 individuals from 51 archeological sites (450 farmers, 192 foragers, 77 pastoralists). All were over age 12 and sexes were pooled. Using a Sensofar® white‐light confocal profiler we collected dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) data from a single first or second molar from each individual. We leveled and cleaned data clouds following standard procedures and analyzed the data with Sfrax® and Toothfrax® software. The DMTA variables were complexity and anisotropy. Statistics included ANOVA with partial eta squared and Hedges's g. We also performed a follow‐up K‐means cluster analysis. Results We found significant differences between foragers and farmers and pastoralists for complexity and anisotropy, with foragers having greater complexity than either the farmers or the pastoralists. The farmers and pastoralists had greater anisotropy than the foragers. The Old World foragers had significantly higher anisotropy values than New World foragers. Old and New World farmers did not differ. Among the Old World farmers, those dating from the Neolithic through the Late Bronze Age had higher complexity values than those from the Iron Age through the medieval period. The cluster analysis discerned foragers and farmers but also indicated similarity between hard food foragers and hard food farmers. Discussion Our findings reaffirm that DMTA is capable of distinguishing human diets. We found that foragers and farmers, in particular, differ in their microwear signatures across the globe. There are some exceptions, but nothing that would be unexpected given the range of human diets and food preparation techniques. This study indicates that in general DMTA is an efficacious means of paleodietary reconstruction in humans.

The dental microwear of hard‐object feeding in laboratory Sapajus apella and its implications for dental microwear formation

“…The present study takes us another step toward an appreciation of the fact that dental microwear is formed as the result of a dynamic, complex interaction among many factors which may include the material and geometric properties of food and grit, the grit load, and the amount of time spent feeding. Our findings do not speak directly to interpretations of dental microwear texture (e.g., Merceron et al, ; Schmidt et al, ; Ungar, Scott, & Steininger, ). However, recognition of the complexity of dental microwear formation from studies such as ours is gradually leading to a convergence between theoretical/in vitro (e.g., Lucas et al, ; van Casteren et al, ) and empirical/in vivo (e.g., Percher et al, ; Teaford et al, ) perspectives on the key variables that impact formation of dental microwear textures, and to a much needed holistic approach to understanding the processes underlying dental microwear formation and their implications for paleobiological interpretations.…”

Applying dental microwear texture analysis to the living: Challenges and prospects

“…So far, proof of concept for the usefulness of DMTA in dietary assessment derives from (a) agreement between results obtained through DMTA and diets reported in the literature, or with other means of dietary assessment (e.g., El Zaatari, 2014; Grine et al, 2012; Schmidt et al, 2019; Schmidt, Beach, McKinley, & Eng, 2015; Scott, Teaford, & Ungar, 2012), and (b) a few in vitro studies (Daegling et al, 2016; Hua, Brandt, Meullenet, Zhou, & Ungar, 2015; Lucas et al, 2013; van Casteren et al, 2020; Xia et al, 2015; Xia et al, 2017). As reported in some of these studies, DTMA was successful in identifying differences in microwear pattern among species with substantially different diets.…”

Molecular Mechanism of Functional Ingredients in Barley to Combat Human Chronic Diseases

“…The aba-miRNA-9497 in belladonna with highly homologous to homo sapiens miRNA 378 can target and downregulate human brain-enriched transcription factor (ZNF-691) and gene expression in the human central nervous system [194]. For homo sapiens, foragers have greater complexity than farmers or pastoralists; meanwhile, the Old World foragers had significantly higher anisotropy values than New World foragers, but similarity between hard food foragers and hard food farmers [195]. The meat diet abuse by a herbivorous Homo sapiens can lead to atherosclerosis [196].…”