Analysis distinguishes Neandertals from modern humans, highlighting sample composition effects.
Analyzing nonmetric trait combinations represents a viable method for distinguishing Neandertal from modern humans, with a particular emphasis on fourth premolars. While Neandertals generally exhibit thinner enamel than modern humans, caution is needed when using enamel thickness as a diagnostic criterion due to the considerable overlap between the groups. Additionally, the composition and size of the Neandertal and modern human samples significantly influence the enamel thickness results. These results further prompt a reassessment of evolutionary changes in enamel thickness among Middle Pleistocene European populations.
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Becam et al. (2026) studied this question.
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