Your Inner Fish

by

Neil Shubin

Occlusion Term Analysis

The exact fit between the teeth of the upper law and the lower jaw in mammals, unlike reptilian teeth that do not touch each other when the reptile bites down. Occlusion allows mammals to grind down food more efficiently and eat more diverse food types.

Occlusion Quotes in Your Inner Fish

The Your Inner Fish quotes below are all either spoken by Occlusion or refer to Occlusion. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Similarities Between All Animals Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

The power of those moments was something I'll never forget. Here, cracking rocks in the dirt, I was discovering objects that could change the way people think. That juxtaposition between the most child-like, even humbling, activities and one of the great human intellectual aspirations has never been lost on me.

Related Characters: Neil Shubin (speaker)
Page Number: 67
Explanation and Analysis:
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Occlusion Term Timeline in Your Inner Fish

The timeline below shows where the term Occlusion appears in Your Inner Fish. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4: Teeth Everywhere
Understanding Complex Concepts Through Simple Analogies Theme Icon
Scientific Discovery Theme Icon
...or meat material. Our upper and lower jaws also fit together precisely (a fit called occlusion) to break up food with maximal efficiency. (full context)
History of Life  Theme Icon
Understanding Complex Concepts Through Simple Analogies Theme Icon
...have similar teeth that they replace many times over their lifetime, mammals have teeth that occlude and are only replaced once. During the time period from 225-million to 195-million years ago,... (full context)
Similarities Between All Animals Theme Icon
History of Life  Theme Icon
Understanding Complex Concepts Through Simple Analogies Theme Icon
Scientific Discovery Theme Icon
...two long. Their teeth were even smaller, but Shubin was fascinated by the signs of occlusion in tiny mammals 190 million years old. It gave him a humbling perspective on the... (full context)
History of Life  Theme Icon
...trithledont that shows signs of wear on the cusps of the teeth – evidence of occlusion. Shubin is incredibly impressed with Amaral’s find and learns that some of the most important... (full context)
History of Life  Theme Icon
Understanding Complex Concepts Through Simple Analogies Theme Icon
...to the progression from reptilian teeth to mammalian teeth. Though trithledonts do not have true occlusion, their upper and lower teeth scrape against each other like scissors, showing an intermediary step... (full context)