Preserved Brain Tissue Found in Victim of Ancient Vesuvius Eruption, Scientists Report [View all]

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ARCHAEOLOGY

Preserved Brain Tissue Found in Victim of Ancient Vesuvius Eruption, Scientists Report

George Dvorsky
Today 2:00PM • Filed to: ANCIENT BRAINS

The catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago is famous for preserving its many victims in volcanic ash. New research suggests this preservation extends to the cellular level, owing to the apparent discovery of neurons in a victim whose brain was turned to glass during the eruption.

New research published today in PLOS One describes the discovery of neuronal tissue in vitrified brain and spinal cord remains belonging to a victim of the Mount Vesuvius eruption, which blew its stack in 79 CE.

“The discovery of brain tissue in ancient human remains is an unusual event,” Pier Paolo Petrone, a forensic anthropologist at University Federico II in Italy and the lead author of the new study, said in a press release. “But what is extremely rare is the integral preservation of neuronal structures of a 2,000-year-old central nervous system, in our case at an unprecedented resolution.”

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius devastated several ancient Roman cities, including Herculaneum, Pompeii, Stabiae, and Oplontis. Following a series of earthquakes, the volcano tossed a massive column of molten rock, hot ash, and pumice into the sky. Inhabitants of nearby settlements quickly succumbed to pyroclastic flows—fast-moving avalanches of superheated material. An estimated 2,000 people were killed during the eruption.

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