Members

Dr. Kristin Krueger

I'm a dental anthropologist who focuses on dietary and behavioral strategies of our recent and fossil hominin ancestors. I've done most of my research on Neandertal and modern human incisor microwear using dental microwear texture analysis (I'm an Ungar Lab alum!)

I've become interested in how teeth wear. Is [micro]wear reflecting diet or abrasive loads? This brought me to Artificial Resynthesis Technology (ART VII), originally developed at the University of Minnesota's MDRCBB.

After confirming that ART could create microwear under controlled conditions, I applied for an NSF-MRI to bring one of these amazing chewing simulators to Loyola Chicago. In Spring 2024, Chewie arrived! Come along on our journey!
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Faculty page

THE TEAM

Meet the current members taking on projects in the ChEW Lab!

Hannah jaghab

Hannah is a senior double majoring in anthropology and biology. She is especially interested in Neanderthal microwear and using teeth to connect with our hominin ancestors. She was awarded the Mulcahy Fellowship for her project, which focused on the microwear patterns of El Sidrón Neanderthals. After graduation, Hannah will be attending the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.

greta keller

Greta is a graduate of anthropology and biology, with a particular interest in exploring whether dental microwear analysis can be used as a reliable method for determining bat diets. Her research contributes to a broader investigation into how the diets of bats have influenced the evolution of craniofacial shape across the Chiroptera order.

maddie gustaf

Maddie is a senior interested in bioarcheology and paleoanthropology. She is a Provost fellow and her current project uses ART-VII and Sus scrofa domesticus bones to determine whether various imaging techniques and/or dental microwear analyses can identify the presence of human tooth marks on bone. Her findings will be available for comparative use in analyzing the presence of tooth marks in various skeletal assemblages.

lillian befeler

Lillian is a junior majoring in anthropology. She is interested in experimental archaeology looking at stone and bone tool construction. Currently, she is reconstructing Puebloan sewing needles and awls to better understand leather work and basketry microwear patterns on bone tools. She aims to take a holistic approach to understand human evolution and the body (especially teeth)!

stella riehl

Stella is a senior anthropology student specializing in human osteology and bioarchaeology. They are currently working on a project comparing demographic and pathological data from donated skeletal collections. Their favorite aspect of the NSF project—and of anthropology in general—is the emphasis on ethical discussions aimed at decolonizing collections.