Volcanic ballistics dumped it in AD 79
Finding "completely preserved" nerve tissue of a young man who died 2,000 years ago
In an article published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers announced the discovery of "fully preserved" neural structures belonging to a man who was victims of the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in Italy about 2000 years ago.
The neurons were taken from the remains of a vitrified brain and spinal cord at the Ercolano archaeological site near Pompeii, the ancient city in southern Italy that was buried by volcanic projectiles in AD 79.
The victim is a young man in his twenties, whose body was found lying on a wooden bed during excavations in the 1960s.
"Finding brain tissue in human remains is uncharacteristic," said Pierre Paolo Petrona, an anthropologist at Federico II University in Naples, "but what is more rare after it has been fully preserved in a brain system dating back 2,000 years."
These discoveries provide "a unique insight into the structure of an ancient central cerebral system, and it may save lives in the future," according to the scientist.
The Ercolano site, buried by 10-meter-thick volcanic projectiles, has been well preserved over the centuries with its vital materials.
The transformation of "human tissues into glass" attests to the rapid cooling of the heat of volcanic ash clouds that were hot at the beginning of the eruption, according to the authors of this study.
This vitrification mechanism resulted in "the freezing of the victim's neural structures, thus keeping them intact until today," Petrone said.
It reflects an inherent course of the eruption that "may provide civil protection services with correct information about the initial stages of a volcanic eruption."
Researchers have been able to obtain high-resolution images, thanks to the electron scanning technology.
The discoveries offer a unique insight into the structure of an ancient central brain system.
Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news