The jaws of our human ancestors evolved from fish gills to become strong and flexible, helping them adapt better to their environment and gradually become a superior form of life.
A research team led by the University of Bristol (UK) discovered that the oldest jaws originated when our “ancestors” of aquatic monsters and various species chose gills as the material for transformation.
According to SciTech Daily, to determine how respiratory structures transformed into biting structures, scientists collected shape data of fossilized jaws during early evolution and created mathematical models to statistically describe their characteristics.
Dunkleosteus, one of the “monster” ancestors in our family tree and many other species, is living proof of the advantages of using respiratory organs as material to develop agile and powerful biting structures – (Photo: Nobu Tamura)
The first bizarre fish on Earth were jawless, but later jawed fish emerged in increasing numbers and became the major ancestors in the evolutionary tree, giving rise to many species, including the human lineage.
According to the Daily Mail, the new study found that the jaws of the oldest creatures evolved from gills, which had all the conditions to become strong and flexible. The oldest jaws exhibited a trade-off between maximizing strength and speed: stronger jaws were less flexible, while more agile and faster attacks resulted in weaker bites.
This trade-off helped create a “formula” for each species, allowing them to adapt to different environments and food sources.
The diverse evolution of jaws allowed humans and animals to consume a wider variety of foods, thus adapting to various habitats and easily finding food sources. This laid the groundwork for species to have the opportunity to survive and evolve.
Over time, evolution became diverse, and some species could possess both speed and strength in their bites simultaneously. For example, Dunkleosteus, a top predator in the Devonian period around 382-358 million years ago, had both a powerful bite and remarkable speed.
For humans, it seems we possess an intermediate level, where flexibility predominates.
Clearly, the research indicates that the evolution of jaws may be one of the leading factors in the overall evolution of species, rather than the brain or limb capabilities as previously thought.
