The study of dental microwear allows the analysis of the microscopic marks that foods leave on the surface of tooth enamel during mastication. In palaeoanthropology, this methodology helps reconstruct the diet of fossil primates and hominins throughout human evolution. The microscopic striations in dental enamel are like microscopic archives that reveal whether the diet was rich in foods with softer or more abrasive components. Now, a study published in the journal Scientific Reports presents an innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-based methodology for identifying 3D wear patterns consistently and independently of the analyst
These 3D wear patterns differ among primates inhabiting diverse ecosystems and following different diets. The study also identifies which variables are most informative for the classification of dental microwear and proposes an analytical framework open to the entire scientific community for studying this type of surface.
The study is led by Professor Laura M. Martínez, of the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Archaeology (IAUB) at the University of Barcelona, a pioneering expert in the application of machine learning techniques in palaeoanthropology. The research also involves Ferran Estebaranz, member of the UB and of the Milà i Fontanals Institute for Research in Humanities (IMF-CSIC); Juan José Ibáñez (IMF-CSIC); Simón Rodríguez (Comillas Pontifical University), and Kristina Kit and David R. Insua, from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (ICMAT-CSIC), who are leading researchers in the application of machine learning techniques to archaeological research.
Studying environmental changes through dental microwear
The study of dental microwear has a long history in research on the origin and evolution of the human lineage. "Until now, simpler wear measures, usually in 2D, had often been used, relying on conventional statistical techniques that established relatively direct relationships between these parameters and diet," explains Laura M. Martínez of the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the UB.
