NATIONAL
MUSEUM
OF DENTISTRY OPENS
THE NARWHAL: A WHALE OF A TOOTH
EXHIBITION
On view through September 2007
The National Museum of Dentistry presents The Narwhal: A Whale of a Tooth, a new exhibition that explores the science and mythology of the Arctic whale that has mystified scientists for decades. Based on the research of Dr. Martin Nweeia, principal investigator of Narwhal Tusk Research and a Research Associate in the Marine Mammal Program at the Smithsonian Institution, the exhibition includes a 13-foot, life-size model of a male narwhal with its more than 5-foot-long tusk, documentary photographs, interviews, and educational facts bring this curious creature to life. The exhibition will be on view December 2006 through September 2007.
The narwhal (Monodon monceros, meaning – one toothed, one horned) has fascinated mankind for centuries and has baffled scientists for nearly as long. Referred to as the “unicorn of the sea,” the narwhal has nature’s only long straight spiral tusk, which can grow up to 10 feet long and can weigh up to 22 pounds. This remarkable tooth grows from the left side of the upper jaw, extending through the upper lip. It is rarely found in females, and a small number of males (1 in 500) can grow two tusks.
Narwhal Tusk Research was founded in 2000 to discover the purpose and function of the narwhal tusk. Twenty-seven worldwide institutions with over 48 scientists have combined their scientific insights with the experience of 51 Inuit elders and hunters in the first scientific study to determine the function of the narwhal tusk.
The most startling revelation has been that the narwhal tusk’s outer surface is covered with ten million tiny tubules tunneling their way to the tusk’s central nerve. “Such a finding is startling and indeed surprised all of us who discovered it,” said principal investigator Dr. Martin Nweeia of Narwhal Tusk Research. “Why would a tusk break the rules of normal development by exposing millions of sensory pathways that connect its nervous system to the frigid arctic environment?”
It is a theory that the tusk can detect changes in the water’s temperature, pressure, motion, particulate presence, and salinity. Scientists have also discovered that the tooth is formed “inside-out,” its layers reversed in comparison to a human tooth, which enables the tusk to flex up to one foot in any direction without cracking or breaking. Ongoing research could one day enable dentistry to develop more durable composite dental fillings.
The exhibition is supported by a grant from Sunstar Americas.