A study published in late October detailed the discovery of an incredibly rare tumor that contains teeth.
The tumor was found at an ancient Egyptian burial site and is believed to be at least 3,000 years old, according to a study published in the International Journal of Paleopathology. The tumor is almost certainly ovarian, as it was found in the pelvis of a woman buried at the site. And such growths have been observed in ovaries and testicles elsewhere in the world, according to LiveScience.
This particular tumor contained two teeth and is thought to be the oldest known example of “teratoma,” the technical name for its development. Teratomas are usually made up of a variety of tissues, including muscle, hair bone and teeth.
Rare ovarian tumor with teeth discovered in Egyptian burial at #Amarna from 3,000 years ago#Egypt #archaeology | https://t.co/wRGtAWuEbT
— Debborah Donnelly 🐝 (@DebbyDonnelly) November 7, 2023
Only four other examples of these growths have been unearthed in archaeological sites, including three in Europe and one in Peru. The latest hails from the North Desert Cemetery at Amarna, Egypt, in quite a well-adorned grave.
She was wrapped in a plant-fiber mat, along with a ring decorated with fertility and protective deities, as well as a handful of other goods. (RELATED: 5,000-Year-Old Discovery Flips The Narrative Of Ancient Egypt)
A more modern example of a teratoma includes a young woman who had a large mass of bone, teeth and hair growing in her abdomen, which turned out to be her twin, according to LiveScience. The bones apparently resembled a vertebrae and ribs, a condition that happens in maybe one in 500,000 people worldwide.