News

  Luca Fiorenza was recognised among Australia’s top researchers in 2025 by the The Australian’s Research Magazine as Leading Researcher in Anthropology. The Australian’s 2025 Research magazine names the top researcher and top research institution in each of 250 fields of research, based on the quality and impact of their work. Anthropology was listed under Social Sciences. Luca Fiorenza was one of the 29 Australia’s leading researchers in the social sciences – one selected from each of the 29 fields

We are pleased to announce that our Discovery Project titled “Unravelling the secrets of tooth enamel: implications for human evolution”, in collaboration with Associate Professor Jing Fu (Monash University, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering), Professor Stefano Benazzi (University of Bologna), Professor Ottmar Kullmer (Senckenberg Research Institute), and Dr Carol Mosca (CSIRO Food Innovation Centre) will be funded by the Australian Research Council for a total of $665,767. This project aims to investigate the intricate relationship between morphology, wear and

Our new study on the orangutan’s ecological diversity has been recently published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology. Orangutans are found in tropical rainforests of Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus) and Sumatra (Pongo abelii and Pongo tapanuliensis), and they are primarily considered frugivorous species. However, ecological studies reported differences in feeding behavior between these species. P. pygmaeus spend more time feeding on low quality foods, such as bark and tough vegetation than do P. abelii. The aim of this study is

Our new study on the biomechanics of Neanderthal’s anterior dentition has been recently published in the Journal of Human Evolution. Neanderthal anterior teeth are very large (significantly larger than those of modern humans) and have a distinctive morphology characterised by robust “shovel-shaped” crowns. These features are seen as adaptive responses in dissipating heavy mechanical loads resulting from masticatory and non masticatory activities. This assumption (Anterior Dental Load Hypothesis; ADLH) is based on the heavily worn front teeth that characterise most

Our new study on the masticatory habits, diet and biomechanics of the Neanderthal specimen of Bourgeois-Delaunay 1 has been recently published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology. Teeth are the first structures involved in food processing. As so, they are perfect to reconstruct the diet of extinct populations as well as to help revealing their masticatory habits. This study evaluates the macrowear pattern of the adult Neanderthal Bourgeois-Delaunay 1 (BD 1) along with cementum volume measurements in molars distinguishing

Our new study on the analysis of lower molar macrowear in Pleistocene humans and more recent modern human groups has been recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. Our study reveals different wear patterns among modern human populations exhibiting distinct lifestyles. Hunter-gatherers’ macrowear pattern, who mostly relies on meat intake, significantly differs from those early farmer societies, while human groups with a mixed-diet display an intermediate wear pattern between both. These finding support the hypothesis that the material culture

We are pleased to announce that our Discovery Project titled “From foraging to farming. Human adaptations during major transitions”, in collaboration with Professor Stefano Benazzi (University of Bologna) and Professor Rachel Sarig (Tel Aviv University), will be funded by the Australian Research Council for a total of $717,816. This project aims to investigate the causes that led to the human demographic explosion occurred during the Neolithic Revolution by analysing dental tissues through cutting-edge methods. This project expects to generate novel

Tooth wear consists in the loss of dental tissues caused by a combination of different factors related to diet, environment and cultural habits. It forms on cusps and basins of opposite teeth (occlusal wear), and in between adjacent teeth along their mesial and distal aspects (interproximal wear). However, the mechanisms and the relationship between these two types of dental wear are still not clear. In this study we examine occlusal and interproximal wear in Neanderthal and Australopithecus africanus molars by

A new docuseries on human evolution produced by WildBear Entertainment and titled “The Human Revolution” was broadcast last week on ABC TV. It consists of two episodes that focus on how the story of our species has been re-written by stunning discoveries of human remains, art and artefacts analysed by sophisticated dating, genetic and microscopic imaging techniques. The first episode traces the human story back through deep time to discover who our ancient cousins really were, and what they can

In the past few weeks we have published a couple of manuscript on the relationship between feeding ecology and dental macrowear in Asian and African apes. In the first study published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology we looked at tooth macrowear patterns in gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees finding differences linked to their feeding ecology. In particular the chimpanzee’s pattern looks significantly different from those of orangutans and gorillas, and this is probably related to their more frugivorous diet.