Interestingly, the dental calculus of the best-preserved Spanish specimen, known as El Sidrón 1, also revealed evidence of self-medication.
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Weyrich and her colleagues were able to reconstruct all these fascinating details by extracting microbial DNA from the dental calculus of the Belgian and Spanish Neanderthal groups.
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Back in 2014 during an earlier investigation, Warriner discovered the microscopic remnants of plants in the woman's dental calculus, but she also found numerous particles with a distinctly blue color.
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Hardened tartar and plaque, which is called "dental calculus," can yield a huge range of useful insights about the diet, lifestyle, and environment of Neanderthal communities, according to new research published Wednesday in Nature.
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"Our results suggest that dental calculus can be used to help identify scribes and artists in the archaeological record and to aid in the historical reconstruction of women's monasteries and their role in book production," the authors concluded.
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"The discovery of lapis lazuli in the dental calculus of an 11th-century religious woman is without precedent in the European medieval archaeological record and marks the earliest direct evidence for the use of this rare and expensive pigment by a religious woman in Germany," the team said in the paper.
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"In ancient dental calculus, we are able to find DNA from the microorganisms in the plaque, but also anything else that has gone into the mouth, including food or work items -- for example if ancient people were cutting rope with their teeth, we might be able to see the DNA from the plant material used to make the rope," Weyrich said.
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Pathologic demonstration model, 4 x life size, with various pathological conditions like caries, dental calculus, pyorrhea, free dentine and abrasion.
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Starch grain analysis through dental calculus can provide a plethora of information when it come to diet reconstruction of past societies. Specifically, dental calculus is a layering found on the teeth that is formed from plaque, "after mineralization." In a study conducted by Tao et. al, the research group followed the methods laid out by Piperno and Dillehay in 2008 and Li et al.
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The article demonstrated that a female religious in twelfth-century Germany was likely involved in luxury book production as an illuminator because she had lapis lazuli in her dental calculus. The article received extensive global press coverage.
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Dental calculus typically forms in incremental layers that are easily visible using both electron microscopy and light microscopy. These layers form during periodic calcification events of the dental plaque, but the timing and triggers of these events are poorly understood. The formation of calculus varies widely among individuals and at different locations within the mouth. Many variables have been identified that influence the formation of dental calculus, including age, gender, ethnic background, diet, location in the oral cavity, oral hygiene, bacterial plaque composition, host genetics, access to professional dental care, physical disabilities, systemic diseases, tobacco use, and drugs and medications.
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Dental calculus has been shown to contain well preserved microparticles, DNA and protein in archaeological samples. The information these molecules contain can reveal information about the oral microbiome of the host and the presence of pathogens. It is also possible to identify dietary sources as well as study dietary shifts and occasionally evidence of craft activities.
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Shulgin & Shulgin. Tihkal. Transform Press, 1997. Discovery of fragments of Ergot (fungi containing LSD-like psychedelic alkaloids) in a temple dedicated to the two Eleusinian Goddesses excavated at the Mas Castellar site (Girona, Spain) provided legitimacy for this theory. Ergot fragments were found inside a vase and within the dental calculus 25-year-old man, providing evidence of Ergot being consumed.
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A ferret with white healthy teeth and pink gums Dental calculus (tartar) is a hard substance formed on the teeth from the mineralization of plaque. Dental tartar primarily comes from wet food which adheres to the teeth for extended periods of time.Owners guide to ferret grooming Tartar can be avoided by eating raw meat, bones, and preferably whole prey. The biomechanics of consuming meat and bones will keep the teeth clean.
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Discovery of fragments of Ergot (fungi containing LSD like psychedelic alkaloids) in a temple dedicated to the two Eleusinian Goddesses excavated at the Mas Castellar site (Girona, Spain) provided legitimacy for this theory. Ergot fragments were found inside a vase and within the dental calculus 25-year-old man, providing evidence of Ergot being consumed (Juan-Stresserras, 2002). This finding seems to support the hypothesis of ergot as an ingredient of the Eleusinian kykeon.
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Starch grain analysis is not a perfect science, however, plant starch grain analysis is a diagnostic feature of multiple applications according to the peculiarities and to the origin of the plant material. The size, shape and structure of grains from plant species, varies little, which can lead to identification. Starch grains have been removed and identified from stone tools, ceramic sherds, organic materials, dental calculus, and sediments and animal remains to determine diet and when humans began to exploit wild food varieties.
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Bottle of Renew professional strength denture cleaner in powder format Box of Polident overnight denture cleaner in tablet format A denture cleaner (also termed denture cleanser) is used to clean dentures when they are out of the mouth. The main use is to control the growth of microorganisms on the dentures, especially Candida albicans, thereby preventing denture-related stomatitis. When dentures are worn in the mouth, a biofilm develops which may be similar to dental plaque. It may become hardened and mineralized as dental calculus.
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Study of Starch Grains which are plant microfossils, obtained from storing and cooking ceramic vessels, stone tools as well as dental calculus of burials has shed a light on plant usage in Indus Valley Civilization. Use of wheat, barley, millet, gram, garlic whose seeds were found and use of horsegram, eggplant, mango, ginger, turmeric, sedge whose seeds were not found, has been confirmed. Presence of cooked ginger & turmeric starch grains inside ceramic pots & teeth of skeletons in burial sites make Farmana (Indus Valley) first civilization to use spices for cooking.
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A. Molokhia and G. S. Nixon, "Studies on the composition of human dental calculus. Determination of some major and trace elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis", Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, Volume 83, Number 2, August, 1984, p. 273-281. (abstract) The reason fossilized bacteria are initially attracted to one part of the subgingival tooth surface over another is not fully understood; once the first layer is attached, ionized calculus components are naturally attracted to the same places due to electrical charge. The fossilized bacteria pile on top of one another, in a rather haphazard manner.
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Dental calculus indicates the consumption of tubers. The Gigantopithecus teeth from Hejiang Cave dated to near the time of extinction have some anatomical differences to those of Early Pleistocene Gigantopithecus, which could suggest a shift in diet due to changes in the environment and food resources. Gigantopithecus molars have a cavity rate similar to that of chimpanzees, which could mean fruit was included in its diet. Specimen PA1601-1 from Yanliang Cave shows evidence of tooth loss of the right second molar before the eruption of the neighboring third molar (which grew slantedly), which suggests this individual was able to survive for a long time despite impaired chewing abilities.
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In infected hosts, the parasite can typically be found among dental calculus, as well as within the tonsillar crypts, which will often become purulent during the course of infection. T. tenax may also be involved in the degradation of periodontal tissue through the secretion of substances such as alkaline phosphatases and the fibronectin cathepsine. T. tenax is classified as a parasite due to the manner in which it causes damage to host tissues; its behavior when in contact with target cells is similar to the closely related and likewise parasitic T. vaginalis. It has no cysts and is only transmitted directly in its vegetative form.
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In the adult group, males and females show almost equal percentages of mortality. Regarding pathologies, the three most common conditions observed in the skeletal remains analysed from necropolis 6 were dental calculus, joint disease and non-specific infection, and this is typical for a rural, non- industrialised population. Excavation of tomb 42: an African amphora containing the remains of a child Silver hoop earrings from tomb 12 (6th century AD) It is important to mention that in 2011 an amphora tomb, identified as tomb 42, was found in this necropolis. The amphora, African in origin, contained the remains of a one-year-old child.
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Cyperus rotundus L. subsp. rotundus, herbarium specimen isotype, 1839 C. rotundus was part of a set of starchy tuberous sedges that may have been eaten by Pliocene hominins. It was a staple of Aboriginal populations in Central Australia. Biomarkers and microscopic evidence of C. rotundus are present in human dental calculus found at the Al Khiday archaeological complex in central Sudan dating from before 6700 BC to the Meroitic pre-Islamic Kingdom of 300–400 AD. It is suggested that C. rotundus consumption may have contributed to the relatively low frequency of dental caries among the Meroitic population of Al Khiday because of its ability to inhibit Streptococcus mutans.
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Phytoliths are very robust, and are useful in archaeology because they can help to reconstruct the plants present at a site when the rest of the plant parts have been burned up or dissolved. Because they are made of the inorganic substances silica or calcium oxalate, phytoliths don't decay with the rest of the plant and can survive in conditions that would destroy organic residues. Phytoliths can provide evidence of both economically important plants and those that are indicative of the environment at a particular time period. Phytoliths may be extracted from residue on many sources: dental calculus (buildup on teeth); food preparation tools like rocks, grinders, and scrapers; cooking or storage containers; ritual offerings; and garden areas.
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The people of Xinglonggou appeared to favor yellow-green nephrite, a material that was not locally derived. Residue analysis of starch grain remains from grinding stones and human dental calculus shows that the people of Xinglonggou were primarily processing lily bulbs (Lilium), Chinese yam (Dioscorea polystachya), Trichosanthes kirilowii root, Job's tears, millet, and limited amounts of acorn and various Triticeae grasses. The starch residue cereal remains are dominated by Job's tears (over millet). The Job's tears remains at Xinglonggou 1 is the earliest evidence for Job's tears in Northeast China and the northernmost evidence for Job's tears before 5000 BC. Systemic flotation at the site yielded over 1,500 grains of broomcorn millet and around 20 grains of foxtail millet.
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Bacterial plaque is one of the major causes for dental decay and gum disease. Progression and build-up of dental plaque can give rise to tooth decay – the localised destruction of the tissues of the tooth by acid produced from the bacterial degradation of fermentable sugar – and periodontal problems such as gingivitis and periodontitis; hence it is important to disrupt the mass of bacteria and remove it. Plaque control and removal can be achieved with correct daily or twice-daily tooth brushing and use of interdental aids such as dental floss and interdental brushes. Oral hygiene is important as dental biofilms may become acidic causing demineralization of the teeth (also known as dental caries) or harden into dental calculus (also known as tartar).
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Rice starch grains with angular outline and clumping attraction Starch analysis or starch grain analysis is a technique that is useful in archaeological research in determining plant taxa on a microscopic level. It can also be used in day to day life by specialists within the pharmaceutical and food industries in order to determine taxa origins and food quality. Specifically in regards to archaeology though, the identification of starch grains, through this context is done by comparison identification, in which several attributes of the grains are compared to other known samples in order to determine the type. This comparison technique, when done microscopically allows for the specific taxa identification of starch grains found on specific artifacts, such as ground stone tools, within soils, through dental calculus, or found in reference to ceramic vessels.
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In an attempt to solve the mystery of how so many people over the span of two millennia could have consistently experienced revelatory states during the culminating ceremony of the Eleusinian Mysteries, it has been posited that the barley used in the Eleusinian kykeon was parasitized by ergot, and that the psychoactive properties of that fungus triggered the intense experiences alluded to by the participants at Eleusis. Discovery of fragments of Ergot (fungi containing LSD like psychedelic alkaloids) in a temple dedicated to the two Eleusinian Goddesses excavated at the Mas Castellar site (Girona, Spain) provided legitimacy for this theory. Ergot fragments were found inside a vase and within the dental calculus 25-year-old man, providing evidence of Ergot being consumed (Juan-Stresserras, 2002). This finding seems to support the hypothesis of ergot as an ingredient of the Eleusinian kykeon.
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She is a founding member of the Arbeitskreis geistliche Frauen im europäischen Mittelalter (AGFEM). With Isabelle Cochelin, she edited the two-volume Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West (Cambridge University Press, 2020) Alison Beach was a Fulbright recipient in 2003 and has received grants from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In 2013-14 she was a Member in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study and is Co- President of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Members of the Institute for Advanced Study. In 2017 she won a Ronald and Deborah Ratner Distinguished Teaching Award from Ohio State. In January 2019, Alison Beach was a coauthor of the article "Medieval women’s early involvement in manuscript production suggested by lapis lazuli identification in dental calculus", which appeared in Science Advances.
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