Nanostructure of tooth enamel casts light on dietary shifts as humans evolved

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03 June 2026 Nanostructure of tooth enamel casts light on dietary shifts as humans evolved The arrangement of mineral nanocrystals in the tooth enamel of primates, hominins and modern humans altered as the diet of these species changed. By Alejandro Romero 0 Alejandro Romero Alejandro Romero is in the Department of Biotechnology, University of Alicante, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Alicante 03690, Spain. View author publications PubMed Google Scholar

Tooth enamel is the hardest tissue in vertebrates. Its thickness and microstructure have long been linked to the diet of the organism concerned. However, how the organization of mineral nanocrystals in teeth varies with the hardness of the food eaten was poorly understood. In a paper in Nature, Gilbert et al.1 propose that the strategic misorientation of nanocrystals in the teeth of modern humans (Homo sapiens) and eight other primate species reflects adaptive responses to food hardness — including those associated with major dietary transitions that occurred during hominin evolution.

Nature 654, 41-43 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01579-5

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Competing Interests The author declares no competing interests.

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