Scientists discover fossil tumor in 255 million-year-old mammal forerunner

The scientists discovered evidence that the specimen harbored a benign tumor made up of miniature, tooth-like structures. This type of tumor, known as a "compound odontoma," is common to mammals today. But this animal lived 255 million years ago -- before mammals existed.

A thin-section image zooms in on the fossil odontomas. Each looks like a miniature tooth. Image credit: Megan Whitney - University of Washington/NSF

The creature studied by the team was a gorgonopsian, a distant relative of mammals and the apex predator during its pre-dinosaur era, about 255 million years ago.

Gorgonopsians are part of a larger group of animals called synapsids, which includes modern mammals as its only living member.

Before this discovery, the earliest evidence of odontomas came from ice age-era fossils, about 1 million years ago.

The discovery suggests that the suspected cause of an odontoma isn't tied solely to traits in modern species, as had been thought.

In humans and other mammals, a compound odontoma is a mass of small "toothlets" combined with tooth tissues like dentin and enamel. This type of tumor grows in the gums or other soft tissues of the jaw. It can cause pain and swelling and disrupt the positions of teeth. (NSF)

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