Chapter 4: Teeth Everywhere

I think this chapter has been the best to support Shubin's theory so far with all his specific evidence and and personal experience. When Shubin describes how each tooth has a characteristic pattern of wear it is really specific and detailed which presents a really strong argument. It is made clear why and how Shubin knows so much from teeth later on in the chapter when he introduces what makes teeth the most preserved bones of an animals skeleton: hydroxyapatite. The fact that teeth are preserved well due to hydroxyapatite also explains why Shubin's argument was benefited so much by them, because there already is a lot of research on them. Another thought that Shubin brought up was the fact that teeth were the first hard bones ever recorded as Conodonts, which means that animals developed teeth in order to eat other animals, not for protection.