Diet and Molar Microwear

20年来，对人类和其他灵长类动物牙齿微磨损模式的研究有望揭示识别这些动物和化石祖先饮食习惯的新方法，因为牙齿微磨损模式是可以恢复的。然而，由于研究人员发现的复杂性，这个早期的承诺在很大程度上没有兑现。该项目将首次研究牙齿上的微磨损模式，并将这些模式与相关特定动物观察到的进食模式联系起来。食物的物理特征(如硬度)将被确定，并与这些和其他发现相关。这项研究将对体质人类学、动物行为学和牙科医学具有重要意义。

For 20 years, studies of microwear patterns on teeth of humans and other primates has promised to reveal new ways of discerning dietary habits of those animals and also fossil ancestors, since dental microwear patterns are recoverable. However, because of the complexities that researchers uncovered, this early promise has gone largely unfulfilled. This project will be the first to study microwear patterns on teeth and relate those patterns to observed patterns of eating by the particular animals concerned. The physical traits (eg hardness) of the foods consumed will be established and related to these and other findings. This study will be of importance to physical anthropology, animal behavior, and dentistry.