Dental development in Tanzanian fossil hominids

New hominid fossil dentognathic material has recently been found in Tanzania and no information or published data on dental development is currently available for these specimens and the taxa they belong to. Thanks to the growth properties of dental mineralized tissues (growing by the successive apposition of thin layers, like tree rings), high-resolution Synchrotron microtomography has enabled to reveal differences in developmental timing and patterning among extinct and extant hominids. Under this perspective, we aim to analyse a set of new (unpublished) fossil specimens to: 1) confirm their preliminary taxonomic attribution; 2) unveil for the first time biological information on dental growth, development and life history for African hominids.