Ancient proteins have been discovered in the enamel of 18-million-year-old mammal fossils from Kenya's Rift Valley, allowing scientists to better understand prehistoric life and evolution. The research indicates that teeth contain a geochemical record of past diets and environments. Contrary to previous beliefs, new proteomics techniques reveal a great diversity of proteins in tooth enamel, challenging the assumption that mature enamel had few proteins. This discovery opens avenues for further exploration into ancient biological structures and their functions.
"Teeth are rocks in our mouths. They're the hardest structures that any animals make, so you can find a tooth that is a hundred or a hundred million years old, and it will contain a geochemical record of the life of the animal."
"In the past, we thought that mature enamel, the hardest part of teeth, should really have very few proteins in it at all. However, utilizing a newer proteomics technique called liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, the team was able to detect 'a great diversity of proteins ... in different biological tissues.'"
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