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What teeth enamel tells us about ancient human diets

NPR | By Nathan Rott

Published June 5, 2026 at 3:19 PM CDT

The enamel on our teeth is the hardest tissue on the human body. A new study looks at the nanoscale structure of enamel from teeth dating as far back as 18 million years ago to see how it's changed.

Nathan Rott

Nathan Rott is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where he focuses on environment issues and the American West.

See stories by Nathan Rott