The study of human evolution is often based on fragmentary traces, among which teeth occupy a singular position. Their resistance to fossilization processes makes them one of the most abundant materials in Paleoanthropology archives. These apparently modest elements enable us to reconstruct fundamental dimensions of evolutionary history - diet, movement, environment - giving us a glimpse of what human life might have been like in prehistoric times.
Interview with Juliette Henrion*, paleoanthropologist at the Collège de France.
In archaeological contexts, the preservation of organic remains is highly selective. Teeth stand out for their durability. Paleoanthropologist Juliette Henrion points out that their mineralized structure explains this exceptional resistance. Teeth are " the human body tissue with the largest mineral matrix ", a property that enables them to be preserved in conditions where other parts of the skeleton disappear. For this reason, teeth are particularly valuable for the study of human evolution. They offer direct access to ancient populations, sometimes known only by a few fossil fragments." Teeth are a kind of black box for the biology of a human being and for the study of its evolution ", summarizes the researcher. This " black box " contains a wealth of information, linked both to morphology and to interactions between the individual and his or her environment.
Dental analysis
In addition to studying the morphology and internal structure of dental remains, one of the major areas of research involves the analysis of wear marks on teeth. These are the result of repeated contact between teeth and various materials, foods and particles present in the environment. Juliette Henrion distinguishes two main mechanisms : " traces created by tooth-to-tooth contact, known as attrition, and those resulting from contact between external material and teeth, known as abrasion ". Each of these processes produces specific marks on the enamel, micro-traces that can be used to infer certain mechanical properties of the food consumed. As Juliette Henrion explains, " depending on food qualities - whether the food is resistant, hard or crumbly - we observe different wear signals ". In other words, the tooth surface retains the mechanical memory of interactions between the individual and his or her food, but also of other elements that required the use of teeth to access food (para-mastication) or be modified (non-mastication). In fact, teeth have long been used as tools for holding or working objects. The study of these signatures provides a method for reconstructing diets, as well as specific behaviours related to the environment. Over and above the simple identification of foodstuffs, these studies enable us to understand the ecological adaptations of ancient human populations, which can be confirmed or invalidated by other analyses.
Teeth are particularly good at preserving DNA, but they also preserve other chemical signatures that provide information about the environments frequented by prehistoric man. Isotope analysis is a particularly relevant tool in this respect. It involves measuring the proportions of certain isotopes in dental tissues, i.e. the presence of atoms of the same element whose mass varies due to a different number of neutrons. Juliette Henrion highlights the interest of strontium, a chemical element " whose isotopic composition is highly variable depending on the geological environment in which a living being evolves ". Indeed, local rocks determine the isotopic composition of water and food resources, making it possible to link these chemical signatures to specific regions." The strontium found in the rock, and therefore in the water, can be found in any living being in this environment ", explains the researcher. The precision of the isotopic study makes it possible to identify the geographical origins of individuals or their movements over the course of their lives. From this perspective, teeth become indicators of mobility and potentially of territorial organization. They contribute to documenting movements and spatial occupation strategies. Combined with results from other disciplines, these analyses enable us to explore the relationships between human populations and landscapes.
Reconstructing behavior
Beyond diet and mobility, the analysis of dental remains contributes to a broader ambition : to understand the adaptation strategies of prehistoric human populations in their environment. Dental data must therefore be placed in the context of a more global investigation, as their interpretation requires a synthetic approach. Dental evidence must be combined with other archaeological and environmental information. Juliette Henrion insists on this multidisciplinary dimension of scientific work. According to her, research consists in bringing together different clues in order to reconstruct past behaviors : " We are faced with an inquiry to reconstruct, interpret and put into words behaviors ". This investigation aims to understand not only what ancient populations ate, but also the various chewing behaviours that give an insight into their strategies for exploiting their environment. The study of teeth thus becomes a form of everyday archaeology, with the aim of identifying the adaptation strategies of different groups of hominins. Dental information becomes an entry point for exploring the interactions between biological evolution and cultural practices.
This research finds a particular echo in the exhibition " Prehistory : between utopia and reality ", presented at the Collège de France from April 29 to July 19 2026, and for which Juliette Henrion is a member of the scientific committee. The exhibition compares current scientific knowledge of prehistoric societies with the often contrasting images that different eras have projected onto this distant past. It reminds us that prehistory is both an object of science and a powerful territory of collective imagination, nourished by art, literature and popular culture. As the researcher points out, " each generation has redefined the way we represent our human origins, between scientific hypotheses and ideological constructs ". With this in mind, Juliette Henrion's work contributes to this dialogue between knowledge and representation. By investigating the most tenuous material traces - such as dental wear, masticatory mechanics and morphological variability - they contribute to refining our empirical understanding of the lifestyles of prehistoric populations, and to nuancing the often simplified narratives that surround prehistory. The scientific investigation of dental remains, by revealing the complex interactions between diet, environment and mobility, reminds us that, far from being confined to the imaginary, the reconstruction of the human past is based on rigorous research at the crossroads of material analysis and interpretation.
*Juliette Henrion holds a doctorate in biological anthropology, and is attached to the Paleoanthropology Chair, CIRB-Collège de France-CNRS/UMR 7241 - Inserm U1050.
