Each season of excavation adds to the foundation of understanding that makes the next discovery possible.

The application of new analytical methods — uranium-series dating, laser ablation techniques, archaeochemistry — to previously collected specimens and new excavations continues to produce results that older methods could not have revealed.

Sulawesi is, in short, one of the most important archaeological landscapes in the world for understanding the deep prehistory of modern humans in Island Southeast Asia.

The betel nut study is a confirmation of that status.

A Final Word On What The Teeth Say