By locking fat people’s upper and lower jaws together with a tooth-to-tooth metal lock, a team from the Unviersity of Otago and from Leeds (UK), intend to slim those fat people down. So suggests a June 28, 2021 press release from the University of Otago. The press release begins: “University of Otago and UK researchers […]
Tag: Teeth
What Chewed on That?
Taphonomic detectives can easily get caught up in wondering what kind of animal chewed on things that deteriorated and decayed to the point where, when those things were found, the remains of those things deserved to be called “the remains.” A chapter of the book Forensic Taphonomy and Ecology of North American Scavengers, by Susan […]
Not a mathematics article: “Quantifying Calculus on Dogs’ Teeth”
“Validation of Quantitative Light-Induced Fluorescence for Quantifying Calculus on Dogs’ Teeth.” This is not a mathematics study. It is a veterinary medicine study.
Chocolate and Tea Are Better Than Flouride, for Teeth, in Toothpaste for Rats?
This month’s mini-AIR research spotlight shines on possible ingredients for toothpaste, to protect teeth: “Theobromine: A Safe and Effective Alternative for Fluoride in Dentifrices,” Tetsuo Nakamoto, Alexander U. Falster, and William B. Simmons, Jr., Journal of Caffeine Research, vol. 6, no. 1, February 2016, pp. 1-9. The authors, at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and at […]
Teeth As a Dating Ornament (podcast #91)
Can your teeth make people want to date you or hate you? And how is toothbrushing like voting? We brush up on research studies that ask these questions, in this week’s Improbable Research podcast. SUBSCRIBE on Play.it, iTunes, or Spotify to get a new episode every week, free. This week, Marc Abrahams discusses two teeth-centric studies, with dramatic readings from Harvard chemist Daniel Rosenberg. For more […]
Magazine: The special TEETH issue is out
The special Teeth issue (vol. 21, no. 1) of the magazine (the Annals of Improbable Research) is now out! Articles include: “Journeys of Toothbrushes“ “Improbable Research Review“ “Improbable Sex“ …and more, more, more, including new helpings of “Improbable Medical Review”, “Boys Will Be Boys”, “Soft Is Hard”, and other outstandingly improbable research snippets from many fields and countries. We encourage […]
More Bite than an Old Saw? A Saw Made with Shark Teeth
Francie Diep’s article “Watch a Power Saw Made with Shark Teeth Slice Through Salmon“, in Popular Science magazine, is well headlined, and has a video that shows a power saw, made with shark teeth, slicing through salmon. The research Diep describes was itself described by the researchers at a meeting earlier this month: “Jawzall: Effects of […]
3-D carving (rather than printing), for teeth
The 3-D printing revolution gets most of the attention, but 3-D carving has already added a very real bite to modern healthcare. Dentists (and engineers) are leading the way. A considerable number of people are strolling the streets, smiling, chewing the fat, and eating lunch — sporting dental crowns made through a process of 3-D scanning and then 3-D milling. The […]
Grills, ‘Grillz’ and dental hygiene implications
“Some celebrities have been flashing more than clean, white teeth at their fans. Under the spotlight, the glint from their mouths comes from ‘grills’ or ‘grillz,’ decorative covers often made of gold, silver or jewel-encrusted precious metals that snap over one or more of their teeth.“ The quote comes from an article in The Journal […]
A newly patented use for old new teeth
If you’ve ever been at a loss for ideas when it comes to finding a use for a child’s discarded primary teeth – a new US patent (#8661849) provides suggestions (though you might want to check with the inventor as to royalty arrangements for using his invention): “The invention discloses jewelry made of disinfected, pulverized […]