By Carissa Wong.
A Neanderthal upper central incisor.
Croatia's Natural History Museum is named after Luka Mjeda.
New information about the development of our extinct cousins is being revealed by the first estimate for when a milk front tooth erupted from the gum in the upper jaw of a Neanderthal child. The tooth that is now known as a baby tooth may have emerged earlier than we think, from around 4 months of age, because it was lived in Croatia about 120,000 years ago.
The first teeth to erupt from the gum are the incisors. Babies are able to start eating harder foods. Neanderthal children had little knowledge about how milk teeth developed.
Milk teeth give a unique glimpse into the early life of past populations. They are part of a developing organisms. We can use teeth to get information on the growth of children.
