Scientists reveal the type of TEETH that means you have a gene inherited from Neanderthals
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Your smile is likely one of the first things a person notices about you. Now, experts have found that the shape of our teeth may have been influenced by Neanderthals. A study has revealed that interbreeding with the ancient species of human thousands of years ago still has lasting genetic effects on some people today.
![[Pictured, an example of the dental scans researchers used to measure the tooth dimensions, However, they don't know if this is from a person carrying the Neanderthal gene. The blue teeth show the arrangement of teeth in our lower jaw as it would naturally be. This is called our dental arcade. The white teeth are aligned versions of the same teeth, where they are all aligned along the same directions - width, height, thickness]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/12/15/93086007-14186445-image-a-10_1734018895957.jpg)
And it has led to substantial differences in teeth between ethnicities – especially for Europeans who have inherited the gene. The team, which included researchers from University College London (UCL), analysed data from 882 volunteers in Colombia of mixed European, Native American and African ancestry, including dental crown measurements derived from 3D scans of dental plaster casts.
![[Neanderthals were an early relative of humans who died out around 40,000 years ago, although their time on this planet did overlap with modern humans (homo sapiens). Pictured, a recreation of a Neanderthal woman]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/12/16/93088745-14186445-image-a-23_1734021692972.jpg)
They compared these measurements with the participants’ genetic information and identified 18 genome regions that influence the size and shape of different groups of teeth. One of the genes is believed to be inherited from Neanderthals due to interbreeding with ancient humans.
![[We once lived among Neanderthals but, around 40,000 years ago, they disappeared. Suggested reasons for their demise vary, but experts have indicated interbreeding, climate change and violent clashes with humans may be to blame (stock image)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/10/12/85248529-14177211-We_once_lived_among_Neanderthals_but_around_40_000_years_ago_the-a-1_1733835462190.jpg)
Carriers of the gene have thinner incisors – the eight teeth at the front of the mouth. Genetic variants that determine the shape of your teeth include a gene inherited from Neanderthals, report the scientists (file photo of Neanderthal skull). Pictured, an example of the dental scans researchers used to measure the tooth dimensions, However, they don't know if this is from a person carrying the Neanderthal gene. The blue teeth show the arrangement of teeth in our lower jaw as it would naturally be. This is called our dental arcade. The white teeth are aligned versions of the same teeth, where they are all aligned along the same directions - width, height, thickness.
