This week, storing data in the tiniest of spaces.

Current technology is of the order of a million atoms, and we have now reached the very end, which is a single atom.

And a study of microorganisms in Neanderthal mouths paints a graphic picture of their encounters with humans.

And so it actually suggests that there might have been some sort of spit swapping between humans and Neanderthals.

Plus, we chat to the scientists who uncovered the world's oldest fossils.

This is the Nature Podcast for March the 9th, 2017.

I'm Adam Levy.

And I'm Kerry Smith.

Adam. I'm Adam Levy. And I'm Kerry Smith. Adam, open wide, please. I need to look at your dental calculus.

My what?

Your dental calculus, a calcified dental plaque.

Basically bits of food and microbes that live among your pearly whites.

No, I'd really rather you didn't.

My teeth are spotless and you're definitely not a dentist.

Correct, but I am very interested in what dental plaque can reveal about diet and health.

A new study in nature takes a look at some dental calculus from Neanderthal teeth,

one individual from Belgium and one from

Spain.

They used DNA sequencing on the material furring up and solidifying on Neanderthal teeth.

It's given them a lot of information about food, bacteria, even medicinal compounds, really

anything these guys put in their mouths.

Sounds fascinating. Why not get the authors to open up about that?

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