02556cam a2200325 i 4500 1459331693 TxAuBib 20250128120000.0 240328s2024||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2024005154 9781643751788 HRD 31.00 1643751786 HRD 31.00 TxAuBib rda Schutt, Bill, author. Bite [BOOK] : an incisive history of teeth, from hagfish to humans / Bill Schutt ; illustrations by Patricia J. Wynne. First edition. Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2024. 308 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references and index. "In Bite, zoologist Bill Schutt makes a surprising case: it is teeth that are responsible for the long-term success of vertebrates. The appearance of teeth, roughly half a billion years ago, was an adaptation that allowed animals with backbones, such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, dinosaurs and mammals—including us—to chow down in pretty much every conceivable environment. And it’s not just food. Tusks and fangs have played crucial roles as defensive weapons—glimpsing the upper canines of snarling dogs is all it takes to know that teeth are an efficient means of aggression. Vampire bats use their razor-sharp teeth to obtain a widespread but generally untappable resource: blood. Early humans employed their teeth as tools to soften tough fibers and animal hides. Our teeth project information and social status—the ancient Etruscans were the first to wear tooth bling, and it’s doubtful that George Washington would have been elected president without the false teeth he wore. So much of what we know about life on this planet has come from the study of fossilized teeth, which have provided information not only about evolution but also about famine, war, and disease. Schutt shows us how our continued understanding of teeth may help us humans through current and future crises, from Alzheimer’s disease to mental health issues.". 20250128. Teeth Evolution Popular works. Teeth Popular works. Dentition Popular works. Adaptation (Biology) Popular works. Wynne, Patricia, illustrator.