Spotlight On: Mona Le Luyer

By: Hallie Friedman and Caitlin Martin-Welp

Our newest addition to the Dunn lab is Dr. Mona Le Luyer, a biological anthropologist who will be leading efforts to analyze baby teeth.

Mona grew up in the heart of Brittany, France, in Kreiz Breizh, enjoying music festivals and the renowned rainy weather. She received an undergraduate degree in Biology in France at the University of Rennes. While in college, she completed field work that exposed her to archeology and biological anthropology. Mona earned her Master’s degree and PhD from the University of Bordeaux.

Keep reading to learn more about Mona!

What is biological anthropology?

Biological anthropology focuses on the study of human evolution and biological variation to understand our ancestry as a species. Using various techniques, biological anthropologists learn more about the history of human evolution and our patterns of biological variation. Biological anthropologists can focus on specific time periods. They can also specialize in certain species or parts of fossils. Many biological anthropologists compare time periods to gain better understanding of biological variation among humans, and some – like Mona – research specific aspects of the human body to gain new insight.

Mona found her passion for biological anthropology when she discovered archaeology during her time as an undergrad. As she began helping her professor on archaeological digs, she also spent time analyzing her work in the lab. During this time, she realized that archaeology allowed her to enjoy the things she loved – working outdoors in nature and solving problems in a lab. This led to her decision to pursue biological anthropology.

What does she research?

Mona has a lot of great experience working with teeth that she’s bringing to the Dunn Lab. Much of her past research has focused on these unique skeletal structures.

She previously researched changes in teeth size and makeup throughout human evolution. As Mona puts it, our teeth have decreased in size and complexity as we have evolved because we no longer need the large, tough teeth our ancestors did to consume food that was much less processed. Additionally, the inside of our teeth developed differently from our ancestors. Enamel, the hard, protective layer that covers each tooth, developed differently than dentine, which is the main supportive structure of teeth. Mona’s past research explored why this development evolved and what factors were responsible for these changes.

Mona also led work to collect baby teeth. In her previous lab at the University of Bordeaux, she established a Tooth Fairy collection, similar to our STRONG Study collection, where she studied baby teeth from people living in France.

What is she doing at the Dunn Lab?

Now, as Mona joins the Dunn Lab, she plans to build on her past research surrounding teeth, as she works with several of our current studies. In her previous work she studied changes in the teeth and retrospectively looked at what exposures could have caused those physical changes in ancient human teeth. Here in the lab, she plans to look for possible physical changes due to exposures in modern humans.

Looking at teeth that begin to develop in utero, she is researching possible links between trauma and stress exposure with baby teeth development. This cutting-edge research will help reveal whether baby teeth can be used as biomarkers – displaying associations with certain health outcomes of children later in life. 

Mona highlighted that this new chapter of research is exciting, as it allows her to look at human teeth from living individuals – where much of her previous research focused on fossil ancestors.

Mona is passionate about this research as it is a “new perspective on studying the same material but with different information.”

As Mona joins us and gains a new perspective to her research, we gain a new perspective to ours. Understanding the development of humans and variation among teeth provides insight into the importance of studying teeth. Mona’s experience in researching the history of human evolution can inform our research in planning for the future.

Fun Facts about Mona!

Favorite color? Red

Favorite meal? Savory crepes

Favorite tooth? Molars, because of the variety they show

Pets? One cat named Targazh

Spirit animal? Horse because of the independence and adventure they have!