NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Why do people have wisdom teeth?

  • Written by Ariadne Letra, Professor of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
image

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.


Why do people have wisdom teeth? – Jack J., age 17, Dedham, Massachusetts


Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars located at the very back of the mouth. They look just like the first and...

Read more: Why do people have wisdom teeth?

More Articles ...

  1. How do pacemakers and defibrillators work? A cardiologist explains how they interact with the electrical system of the heart
  2. Teens don't know everything − and those who acknowledge that fact are more eager to learn
  3. Norman Lear's ’70s TV comedies brought people together to confront issues in a way Gen Z would appreciate
  4. Viva Guadalupe! Beyond Mexico, the Indigenous Virgin Mary is a powerful symbol of love and inclusion for millions of Latinos in the US
  5. How the Christmas pudding, with ingredients taken from the colonies, became an iconic British food
  6. Ex-Speaker McCarthy's departure from Congress reads like Greek tragedy – but stars a 'slight unmeritable man' and not a hero
  7. The landmark Genocide Convention has had mixed results since the UN approved it 75 years ago
  8. The holidays and your brain – a neuroscientist explains how to identify and manage your emotions
  9. AI can teach math teachers how to improve student skills
  10. Michigan is spending $107M more on pre-K − here's what the money will buy
  11. Turning annual performance reviews into 'humble encounters' yields dividends for employees and managers
  12. Government and nonprofit workers are getting billions in student loan debt canceled through a public service program
  13. Conservatives' 'anti-woke' alternative to Disney has finally arrived
  14. Holocaust comparisons are overused -- but in the case of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel they may reflect more than just the emotional response of a traumatized people
  15. Yule – a celebration of the return of light and warmth
  16. How new reports reveal Israeli intelligence underestimated Hamas and other key weaknesses
  17. Biases behind transgender athlete bans are deeply rooted
  18. Why dozens of North American bird species are getting new names: Every name tells a story
  19. How I identified a probable pen name of Louisa May Alcott
  20. Disinformation is rampant on social media – a social psychologist explains the tactics used against you
  21. What does weight-inclusive health care mean? A dietitian explains what some providers are doing to end weight stigma
  22. When research study materials don't speak their participants' language, data can get lost in translation
  23. Oh, Christmas tree: The economics of the US holiday tree industry
  24. Earth may have had all the elements needed for life within it all along − contrary to theories that these elements came from meteorites
  25. Don't applaud the climate summit's loss and damage fund deal just yet – it might not warrant that standing ovation
  26. Don't applaud the COP28 climate summit's loss and damage fund deal just yet – here's what's missing
  27. Kissinger’s obsession with Chile enabled a murderous dictatorship that still haunts the country
  28. Your car might be watching you to keep you safe − at the expense of your privacy
  29. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, is showing up in pregnant women living near farm fields – that raises health concerns
  30. Intellectual humility is a key ingredient for scientific progress
  31. How electroconvulsive therapy heals the brain − new insights into ECT, a stigmatized yet highly effective treatment for depression
  32. Sandra Day O’Connor's experience as a legislator guided her consensus-building work on the Supreme Court
  33. Tuberville ends holdout on most high-ranking military nominations
  34. Book explores how colleges seek to increase racial diversity without relying on race in college admissions
  35. Citizen science projects tend to attract white, affluent, well-educated volunteers − here's how we recruited a more diverse group to identify lead pipes in homes
  36. Preguntar a las personas con pérdida de memoria sobre las vacaciones pasadas puede ayudarles a recordar momentos felices
  37. 5 lecciones de marketing del romance entre Taylor Swift y Travis Kelce
  38. Hanukkah celebrations have changed dramatically − but the same is true of Christmas
  39. 'Inert' ingredients in pesticides may be more toxic to bees than scientists thought
  40. How a thumb-sized climate migrant with a giant crab claw is disrupting the Northeast's Great Marsh ecosystem
  41. Real or artificial? A forestry scientist explains how to choose the most sustainable Christmas tree, no matter what it's made of
  42. Why Franklin, Washington and Lincoln considered American democracy an 'experiment' -- and were unsure if it would survive
  43. Hate crimes are on the rise − but the narrow legal definition makes it hard to charge and convict
  44. How sacred images in many Asian cultures incorporate divine presence and make them come 'alive'
  45. Scientists have been researching superconductors for over a century, but they have yet to find one that works at room temperature − 3 essential reads
  46. Science is a human right − and its future is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  47. Certain states, including Arizona, have begun scrapping court costs and fees for people unable to pay – two experts on legal punishments explain why
  48. Philadelphia reduces school-based arrests by 91% since 2013 – researchers explain the effects of keeping kids out of the legal system
  49. Texas is suing Planned Parenthood for $1.8B over $10M in allegedly fraudulent services it rendered – a health care economist explains what's going on
  50. New England stone walls lie at the intersection of history, archaeology, ecology and geoscience, and deserve a science of their own