Vesuvius Turned One Victim's Brain to Glass
Five years ago, Italian researchers published a study on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 that detailed how one victim of the blast, a male presumed to be in his mid-20s, had been found nearby in the seaside settlement of Herculaneum. He was lying face down and buried by ash on a wooden bed in the College of the Augustales, a public building dedicated to the worship of Emperor Augustus.
In 2018, a researcher discovered black, glossy shards embedded inside the man's skull. A 2020 paper speculated that the heat of the explosion was so immense that it had fused the victim's brain tissue into glass. Forensic analysis revealed proteins common in brain tissue and fatty acids found in human hair, while a chunk of charred wood unearthed near the skeleton indicated a thermal reading as high as 968 degrees Fahrenheit. It was the only known instance of soft tissue — much less any organic material — being naturally preserved as glass.
Now, a paper published in Nature has verified that the fragments are indeed glassified brain. Using techniques such as electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry, scientists examined the physical properties of samples taken from the glassy fragments and demonstrated how they were formed and preserved. — FRANZ LIDZ / NYT
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