Dr. Peter S. Ungar is Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Director of Environmental Dynamics at the University of Arkansas. His research focuses on paleoecology and teeth. He’s the author of books like Mammal Teeth, Evolution’s Bite, and of textbooks like Human Diet: Its Origin and Evolution.

In this episode, we focus on the evolution of teeth. We discuss how anthropologists study teeth and how they are used. We address the important distinction between what an animal can eat and the types of foods it has available. We talk a little bit about the evolutionary origins of teeth. Dr. Ungar refers to the study of tartar, that began very recently. We also talk about how we can reconstruct diets and environments from teeth. We then refer to the evolutionary mismatch posed by our modern human diets, and the kinds of oral health problems that derive from that. In the end, we also talk about the problems with arguments coming from veganism and the paleo diet about our diets.

Follow Dr. Ungar’s work:

Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2Z2UBPp

Ungar Lab: http://bit.ly/2Z6V4vN

ResearchGate profile: http://bit.ly/2KCMrFu

Smithsonian National Museum of Human History: https://s.si.edu/2pgyF2J

Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2AZRnP3

Twitter handle: @PeterSUngar

Evolution's Bite: A Story of Teeth, Diet, and Human Origins: https://amzn.to/2KNQUnn

The “True” Human Diet (Scientific American): http://bit.ly/2VyEKUi

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JERRY MULLER, FRANCIS FORDE, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, YEVHEN BODRENKO, SERGIU CODREANU, ADAM BJERRE, AIRES ALMEIDA, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, BO WINEGARD, VEGA GIDEY, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, DAVID DIAS, ANJAN KATTA, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, AND HENRIK AHLENIUS!

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, ROSEY, AND JIM FRANK, AND ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK!

AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, MICHAL RUSIECKI!

Home Top podcasts Popular guests Top books