Teeth discovered in Dorset reveal secrets of the origins of modern mammals | Elsa Panciroli

Two fossil teeth found in Cretaceous rocks could belong to the oldest placental mammal ancestor in Europe

Palaeontologists from the University of Portsmouth have discovered two new fossil teeth from the Cretaceous rocks of Dorset. They are from the branch of the mammal tree that led to modern mammals - including humans. Their findings suggest the origin of modern mammals lies even earlier in geological history, as supported by previous fossil finds from China.

The new fossils were found by an undergraduate student, Grant Smith. "Grant was sifting through small samples of earliest Cretaceous rocks collected on the coast of Dorset " in the hope of finding some interesting remains," said Dr. Steven Sweetman, a research fellow at the university who led the research. Grant knew he had a mammal, but didn't realise he'd discovered something so special. "Unexpectedly he found not one, but two quite remarkable teeth."