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Micro-dissection of Enamel Organ from Mandibular Incisor of Rats Exposed to Environmental Toxicants
Published on: March 29, 2018
Brief communication: some observations on enamel thickness and enamel prism packing in the Miocene hominoid
G C Conroy1, J W Lichtman, L B Martin
1Department of Anatomy, Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Abstract:
Otavipithecus namibiensis is currently the sole representative of a Miocene hominoid radiation in subequatorial Africa. Several nondestructive techniques, such as computed tomography (CT) and confocal microscopy (CFM), can provide useful information about dental characteristics in this southern African Miocene hominoid. Our studies suggest that the molars of Otavipithecus are characterized by (1) thin enamel and (2) a predominance of pattern 1 enamel prism. Together, these findings provide little support for the recent suggestion of an Afropithecini clade consisting of Otavipithecus, Heliopithecus, and Afropithecus. Instead, they lend some (though not conclusive) support to the suggestion of an Otavipithecus/African ape clade distinct from Afropithecus.
