Unicorn' Whale's Mystery Solved
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
(Press Release)
___________
San Diego, California (US):
Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) researcher Martin Nweeia, DMD, DDS, answers a marine science question that has eluded the scientific community for hundreds of years:
why does the narwhal, or "unicorn," whale have an 8-foot-long tooth emerging from its head, and what is its function?
Nweeia, a clinical instructor in restorative dentistry and biomaterials sciences at HSDM, will be presenting his conclusions at the 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in San Diego.
The narwhal has a tooth, or tusk, which emerges from the left side of the upper jaw and is an evolutionary mystery that defies many of the known principles of mammalian teeth. The tooth's unique spiral, the degree of its asymmetry to the left side, and its odd distribution among most males and some females are all unique expressions of teeth in mammals.Nweeia has discovered that the narwhal's tooth has hydrodynamic sensor capabilities.
Ten million tiny nerve connections tunnel their way from the central nerve of the narwhal tusk to its outer surface. Though seemingly rigid and hard, the tusk is like a membrane with an extremely sensitive surface, capable of detecting changes in water temperature, pressure, and particle gradients.
Because these whales can detect particle gradients in water, they are capable of discerning the salinity of the water, which could help them survive in their Arctic ice environment. It also allows the whales to detect water particles characteristic of the fish that constitute their diet.
Nweeia will be presenting his conclusions at the 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in San Diego.
Dec 13, 2005
Harvard School of Dental Medicine (Press Release)
___________
San Diego, California (US):
Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) researcher Martin Nweeia, DMD, DDS, answers a marine science question that has eluded the scientific community for hundreds of years:
why does the narwhal, or "unicorn," whale have an 8-foot-long tooth emerging from its head, and what is its function?
Nweeia, a clinical instructor in restorative dentistry and biomaterials sciences at HSDM, will be presenting his conclusions at the 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in San Diego.
The narwhal has a tooth, or tusk, which emerges from the left side of the upper jaw and is an evolutionary mystery that defies many of the known principles of mammalian teeth. The tooth's unique spiral, the degree of its asymmetry to the left side, and its odd distribution among most males and some females are all unique expressions of teeth in mammals.Nweeia has discovered that the narwhal's tooth has hydrodynamic sensor capabilities.
Ten million tiny nerve connections tunnel their way from the central nerve of the narwhal tusk to its outer surface. Though seemingly rigid and hard, the tusk is like a membrane with an extremely sensitive surface, capable of detecting changes in water temperature, pressure, and particle gradients.
Because these whales can detect particle gradients in water, they are capable of discerning the salinity of the water, which could help them survive in their Arctic ice environment. It also allows the whales to detect water particles characteristic of the fish that constitute their diet.
Nweeia will be presenting his conclusions at the 16th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in San Diego.
Dec 13, 2005
