Peking man tooth found in Sweden

Archeologists at the Museum of Evolution of Uppsala University have found a tooth of the Peking man, which has remained untouched since it was found in the 1920s.

"This is an absolutely incredible find,” ScienceDaily quoted Professor Per Ahlberg of Uppsala University as saying.

“We and our Chinese colleagues are overwhelmed. With today’s technology, a canine tooth that has not been handled can tell us so much more than in the past, such as what they ate," he added.

The canine tooth was found when scientists opened 40 cartons left untouched since Swedish paleontologist Carl Wiman studied the fossils found by Swedish and Chinese archeologists in China in the early 20th century.

Per Ahlberg, Martin Kundrat and Museum Director Jan Ove Ebbestad studied the pieces in collaboration with leading Chinese paleontologists from the Beijing Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.

The newly discovered tooth is the fourth of three teeth at the Museum of Evolution belonging to the Peking man. China also has five teeth and a few pieces of skull bone that were found in the 1950s and 1960s.

According to Professor Liu Wu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the canine tooth is fractured but in good condition.

"This is an extremely important find. It is the only canine tooth in existence. It can yield important information about how Homo erectus lived in China," he said.

Scientists hope to find out more about the Peking man’s diet by studying the tooth and looking at possible microscopic mineral granules from plant remains.