You're listening to TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hu.

Okay, you're about to hear a talk about teeth.

And while that may not sound like the most interesting topic in the world, we all do have a set of them, right?

An archaeologist Carolyn Freewald's 2020 talk from TEDx University of Mississippi makes our

teeth both fascinating and connective.

I want you to think about the image that you see when I say one word, migrant.

You may have pictured a crowded boat in rough waters, people clinging to the top of a freight train, or crossing a desert, wearing worn-out shoes. This is what we see in the news cycle, 24 hours, day after day, story after story. People who are desperate, fleeing wars, fleeing climate change, fleeing poverty.

But in reality, most people move for more common reasons.

To get a good education, to find a job, to find family members, or to fall in love.

And this is nothing new.

Archaeologists like me have been studying migration and finding that people for hundreds and even thousands of years have been moving around the globe,

from Europe's earliest farmers to Vikings to pirates, Roman gladiators, and even Neanderthal cavemen, and people like you and me.

Mobility is one of the things that makes us human. People move. And we know this because

of something that you brought with you here tonight. You carry it with you to many places, to work,

to the gym, to bed, and even in the shower. It's not your cell phone. And it's not in your purse or

your pockets. It's you. It's your body and your bones. All 206 of them, I brought mine,

because your bones will tell the story of your life, even a single tooth. And we know that

teeth tell us many things. For your dentist, for example, he or she can see if you floss,

or if like me you really like candy and you might end up with some cavities. And if my dentist is

here tonight, yes, I will see you Monday and I've been very good. But your teeth also tell you

something about migration. If you take your tongue and run it along, your incisors. These front

teeth, the back of those will be flat if you have European or African ancestry. If you feel a sort of scoop or shovel shape,

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