A new study by an international team of archaeologists demonstrates how baby teeth can reveal patterns of physiological stress for both the in utero fetuses and their mothers. To accomplish this, they tested baby teeth, which begin to be formed in utero, for the isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. King and her colleagues found high nitrogen values in many of the baby teeth, which could "reflect the marine-resource consumption of mothers in these coastal sites," they write. A prenatal diet high in seafood would transfer high nitrogen values to their growing babies. Another possibility, though, for the high nitrogen values is maternal stress.

Source: Forbes January 26, 2018 19:18 UTC