Re:Why we have so many problems with our teeth
by triyambakam on Friday May 29, 2020 @04:34PM
(#23355179)
Gorillas and hippos also have canines. It's not a good heuristic. Try tearing the flesh off an animal with your canines
Re:Why we have so many problems with our teeth
by partyboat1586 on Friday May 29, 2020 @04:53PM
(#23355410)
Fair point. Though we do cook our meat so don't need to tear raw flesh.
This is correct. The Expensive Tissue Hypothesis of brain/gut development pretty clearly shows that a switch to eating meat and hunting coincided with a shortening of our intestines and enlarging of our brain, making us human.
Re:Why we have so many problems with our teeth
by commonoddity on Friday May 29, 2020 @12:04PM
(#23351657)
Incorrect. ETH postulates that there could be a correlation between gut length and brain development, the paper explicitly states that there could be an alternative methodology for how we manage the metabolic requirements for our brains. Back to the point on humans having canines. Herbivores also have canines to tear through fibrous plant material see (gorilla, baboon and hippo).
We don't look like other predators because our main weapon is our brain and tools rather than claws and strength. We also cook our meat which means we need less powerful jaws and less sharp teeth. Keep in mind that you still have incisors and canines specifically for eating meat. You could even run your tongue along then right now and feel how sharp they are.