Teeth pitting reveals new hominin evolution insights

Fossil teeth with unique pitting patterns may serve as a new marker for understanding prehistoric human evolution, challenging previous assumptions about their cause. Researchers discovered that consistent, circular pits on two-million-year-old teeth of *Paranthropus* and some *Australopithecus* species are likely a genetic trait, not a defect caused by illness or malnutrition, as previously thought. This finding could help clarify evolutionary relationships. The study suggests these enamel pits, absent in *Homo* species, could be a diagnostic tool for tracing hominin evolution, potentially aiding in identifying the origins of *Paranthropus* and even the "hobbit" species, *Homo floresiensis*.