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Voice of America
14-03-2025
- Science
- Voice of America
How Did a Man's Brain Turn to Glass 2000 Years Ago?
Almost 2,000 years ago, a young man was lying in his bed near Mount Vesuvius. Suddenly, an extremely hot cloud of ash came down from the erupting volcano. The heat was so intense that it turned part of his brain to glass. That is the theory Italian scientists have proposed to explain the strange case of an ancient Roman's brain. They said it is the only human tissue ever known to have naturally turned to glass. This rare brain could rewrite the story of one of history's most famous natural disasters. Mount Vesuvius is near the modern-day Italian city of Naples. The volcano erupted in the year 79 AD, covering the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum with a fast-moving layer of rock and ash called a pyroclastic flow. Thousands of bodies have been discovered in the two places. They are frozen in time, showing people today the daily life of ancient Rome. In the 1960s, the burnt remains of a man about 20 years old were found on a wooden bed in a building in Herculaneum used for the worship of the Roman Emperor Augustus. Italian anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone, a co-author of a new study, noticed something strange in 2018. What was left of the man's brain had been changed into pieces of shiny black glass. Surprising finding Guido Giordano is the lead writer of the study published in Scientific Reports in February. He told the French News Agency (AFP) that these pieces are up to a centimeter wide. When the scientists studied the glass using an electron microscope, they discovered an "amazing, truly unexpected thing," he said. Complex networks of nerve cells and other identifiable parts of the man's brain and spinal cord were preserved in the glass, according to the study. How this happened is something of a mystery. Glass only forms in nature when extremely high temperatures cool very rapidly, leaving no time for crystallization. It is usually caused by meteorites, lightning, or lava. This is even more unlikely to happen to human tissues because they are mostly made out of water. The Roman's brain being preserved in glass is the "only such occurrence on Earth" ever documented for human or animal tissue, the study said. The scientists said that the brain must have been exposed to temperatures above 510 degrees Celsius. That is hotter than the pyroclastic flow that buried the city. Then the brain needed to rapidly cool down. All this had to happen before the flow arrived. The scientists think this only could have happened if the ash cloud from Vesuvius sent out a very hot blast before the pyroclastic flow arrived. This theory is supported by evidence of a thin layer of ash that settled in the city shortly before it was covered by thick layers of rock and ash. This would mean the people of Herculaneum were actually killed by the ash cloud — not the pyroclastic flow as had long been thought. 'Poorly studied' threat Giordano hoped the research would bring more attention to the threat of these hot ash clouds. They remain "very poorly studied" because they leave little evidence behind. French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft were the subjects of the 2022 documentary film Fire of Love. They were killed by such an ash cloud, Giordano said. And some of the 215 people killed during the 2018 eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano were also victims of an ash cloud, he added. "There is a window of survivability" for these hot blasts, he said, adding that building houses which can resist high heat near volcanoes could help. But why did the man with the glass brain alone suffer this fate? The other citizens of Herculaneum had some time to run away from the eruption. All the other bodies discovered there were clearly trying to flee. But the man, who is thought to have been the guardian of the Collegium building, stayed in bed in the middle of town, so he was the first hit. Giordano said that we will likely never know the whole truth of what happened that day. I'm Jill Robbins. Daniel Lawler reported this story for Agence France-Presse. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. ______________________________________________ Words in This Story erupt – v. to send out rocks, ash, lava, in a sudden volcanic explosion layer - n. an amount of something that is spread over an area amazing - adj. causing great surprise or wonder spinal- adj. of, relating to, or affecting the spine preserve – v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition crystallization - n. the process in which cooling minerals form regular geometrical shapes meteorite - n. a piece of rock or metal that has fallen to the ground from outer space lava - n. melted rock from a volcano blast - n. a mass of air that moves very quickly and forcefully What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.
South China Morning Post
27-02-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Mount Vesuvius eruption turned man's brain into glass. Here's how it happened
It was a surprising discovery when scientists examining the remains of a man who died in bed in the ancient city of Herculaneum after Italy's Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79 found dark fragments resembling obsidian inside his skull. It turns out the eruption had somehow turned his brain into glass. Advertisement It is the only case on record of such a phenomenon, and researchers now have answers for why and how it happened. They say the vitrification – transformation into glass – of this victim's brain was the apparent effect of a scorching ash cloud that suddenly descended upon his city along the Bay of Naples, instantly killing all the inhabitants. They concluded vitrification took place through a unique process of rapid exposure of the brain's organic material to a very high temperature – at least 510 degrees Celsius (950 degrees Fahrenheit) – and its subsequent rapid cooling. The researchers conducted an extensive analysis that confirmed the glass nature of the fragments and revealed their physical properties. Advertisement 'The glass formed as a result of this process allowed for an integral preservation of the biological brain material and its microstructures,' said forensic anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone of Universita di Napoli Federico II in Italy, one of the leaders of the research published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Khaleej Times
27-02-2025
- Science
- Khaleej Times
How did this man's brain turn to glass? Scientists have a theory
A young man was lying in his bed when a viciously hot cloud of ash swept down from the erupting Mount Vesuvius and turned his brain to glass almost 2,000 years ago. That is the theory Italian scientists proposed on Thursday to explain the strange case of the ancient Roman's brain, which they said is the only human tissue ever known to have naturally turned to glass. This unique brain could rewrite the story of one of history's most famous natural disasters -- and help protect people against this little-understood phenomenon during future volcanic eruptions, the scientists suggested. When Mount Vesuvius -- near the modern-day Italian city of Naples -- erupted in 79 AD, the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried in a fast-moving blanket of rock and ash called a pyroclastic flow. Thousands of bodies have been discovered at the sites effectively frozen in time, offering a glimpse into the daily life of ancient Rome. In the 1960s, the charred remains of a man aged roughly 20 were found on a wooden bed in a Herculaneum building dedicated to worshipping the Roman Emperor Augustus. Italian anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone, a co-author of a new study, noticed something strange in 2018. "I saw that something was shimmery in the shattered skull," he told AFP in 2020. What was left of the man's brain had been transformed into fragments of shiny black glass. - 'Amazing, truly unexpected' - These "chips" are up to a centimetre wide, volcanologist Guido Giordano, the lead author of the new study in Scientific Reports, told AFP. When the scientists studied the glass using an electron microscope, they discovered an "amazing, truly unexpected thing," he said. Complex networks of neurons, axons and other identifiable parts of the man's brain and spinal cord were preserved in the glass, according to the study. How this happened is something of a mystery. Glass occurs rarely in nature because it requires extremely hot temperatures to cool very rapidly, leaving no time for crystallisation. It is usually caused by meteorites, lightning or lava. This is even more unlikely to happen to human tissues, because they are mostly made out of water. The Roman's brain being preserved in glass is the "only such occurrence on Earth" ever documented for human or animal tissue, the study said. The scientists determined that the brain must have been exposed to temperatures soaring above 510 degrees Celsius (950 Fahrenheit). That is hotter than the pyroclastic flow that buried the city, which topped out at around 465C. Then the brain needed to rapidly cool down -- and all this had to happen before the flow arrived. The "only possible scenario" was that an ash cloud emitted by Vesuvius delivered an initial hot blast before quickly dissipating, the study said. This theory is supported by a thin layer of ash that settled in the city shortly before it was smothered. This would mean the people of Herculaneum were actually killed by the ash cloud -- not the pyroclastic flow as had long been thought. - 'Poorly-studied' threat - Giordano hoped the research would lead to more awareness about the threat posed by these hot ash clouds, which remain "very poorly studied" because they leave little trace behind. French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, the subjects of the Oscar-nominated 2022 documentary "Fire of Love", were killed by such an ash cloud, Giordano said. And some of the 215 people killed during the 2018 eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano were also victims of this phenomenon, he added. "There is a window of survivability" for these hot blasts, he emphasised, adding that fitting houses near volcanoes to withstand high heat could help. But why did the man with the glass brain uniquely suffer this fate? Unlike Pompeii, Herculaneum had some time to respond to the eruption. All the other bodies discovered there were clearly trying to flee into the Mediterranean Sea. However the man, who is thought to have been the guardian of the Collegium building, stayed in bed in the middle of town, so was the first hit. "Maybe he was drunk," Giordano joked, adding that we will likely never know the truth.
Asharq Al-Awsat
27-02-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Mount Vesuvius Eruption Turned a Man's Brain into Glass. Here's How It Happened
It was a surprising discovery when scientists examining the remains of a man who died in bed in the ancient city of Herculaneum after Italy's Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD found dark fragments resembling obsidian inside his skull. It turns out the eruption had somehow turned his brain into glass. It is the only case on record of such a phenomenon, and researchers now have answers for why and how it happened. They say the vitrification - transformation into glass - of this victim's brain was the apparent effect of a scorching ash cloud that suddenly descended upon his city along the Bay of Naples, instantly killing all the inhabitants. They concluded vitrification took place through a unique process of rapid exposure of the brain's organic material to a very high temperature - at least 510 degrees Celsius (950°F) - and its subsequent rapid cooling. The researchers conducted an extensive analysis that confirmed the glass nature of the fragments and revealed their physical properties. "The glass formed as a result of this process allowed for an integral preservation of the biological brain material and its microstructures," said forensic anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone of Università di Napoli Federico II in Italy, one of the leaders of the research published in the journal Scientific Reports. The eruption obliterated the thriving ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. "The only other type of organic glass we have evidence of is that produced in some rare cases of vitrification of wood, sporadic cases of which have been found at Herculaneum and Pompeii. However, in no other case in the world have vitrified organic human or animal remains ever been found," Petrone added. Thousands of people were killed and the two cities were buried under a thick layer of volcanic material and mud, sitting untouched until their rediscovery in the 18th century. Victims were preserved in sudden death, as was the case with the one whose brain was turned to glass. His body was first discovered in the 1960s inside a building called the College of the Augustales dedicated to the cult of Emperor Augustus, who had died in 14 AD. The individual was identified as a young man believed to have been the college's custodian. The remains were re-examined in 2018. "I was in the room where the college's custodian was lying in his bed to document his charred bones. Under the lamp, I suddenly saw small glassy remains glittering in the volcanic ash that filled the skull," Petrone said. "Taking one of these fragments, it had a black appearance and shiny surfaces quite similar to obsidian, a natural glass of volcanic origin - black and shiny, whose formation is due to the very rapid cooling of the lava. But, unlike obsidian, the glassy remains were extremely brittle and easy to crumble," Petrone said. Analyses of this material, previously published in other scientific journals, revealed the presence of proteins and fatty acids common in human brain tissues, with the entire central nervous system exceptionally well preserved, represented by nerve cells interconnected by a dense network of fibers called axons. The research is forging a deeper understanding of how the tragic events unfolded after the eruption. "The study shows that the 'killer' at Herculaneum was the arrival in town of an early hot ash cloud. This highlights the importance of understanding the behavior of ash clouds, as they are very hazardous and still very poorly studied and understood," said volcanologist and study first author Guido Giordano of Roma Tre University in Italy. The actual burial of the city occurred in later stages of the eruption. The custodian at apparently around midnight was surprised while sleeping in his bed by the first effects of the eruption. "As the postures of the victims' bodies show, the custodian of the college died instantly from the impact with the hot volcanic ash surge, as did all the rest of the inhabitants of Herculaneum," Petrone said. "The body of evidence found for the victims at Herculaneum shows that all people died instantly, so they did not have time to notice or suffer."
Reuters
27-02-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Mount Vesuvius eruption turned a man's brain into glass. Here's how it happened
Summary Feb 27 (Reuters) - It was a surprising discovery when scientists examining the remains of a man who died in bed in the ancient city of Herculaneum after Italy's Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD found dark fragments resembling obsidian inside his skull. It turns out the eruption had somehow turned his brain into glass. It is the only case on record of such a phenomenon, and researchers now have answers for why and how it happened. They say the vitrification - transformation into glass - of this victim's brain was the apparent effect of a scorching ash cloud that suddenly descended upon his city along the Bay of Naples, instantly killing all the inhabitants. They concluded vitrification took place through a unique process of rapid exposure of the brain's organic material to a very high temperature - at least 510 degrees Celsius (950°F) - and its subsequent rapid cooling. The researchers conducted an extensive analysis that confirmed the glass nature of the fragments and revealed their physical properties. "The glass formed as a result of this process allowed for an integral preservation of the biological brain material and its microstructures," said forensic anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone of Università di Napoli Federico II in Italy, one of the leaders of the research published in the journal Scientific Reports, opens new tab. The eruption obliterated the thriving ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. "The only other type of organic glass we have evidence of is that produced in some rare cases of vitrification of wood, sporadic cases of which have been found at Herculaneum and Pompeii. However, in no other case in the world have vitrified organic human or animal remains ever been found," Petrone added. Thousands of people were killed and the two cities were buried under a thick layer of volcanic material and mud, sitting untouched until their rediscovery in the 18th century. Victims were preserved in sudden death, as was the case with the one whose brain was turned to glass. His body was first discovered in the 1960s inside a building called the College of the Augustales dedicated to the cult of Emperor Augustus, who had died in 14 AD. The individual was identified as a young man believed to have been the college's custodian. The remains were re-examined in 2018. "I was in the room where the college's custodian was lying in his bed to document his charred bones. Under the lamp, I suddenly saw small glassy remains glittering in the volcanic ash that filled the skull," Petrone said. "Taking one of these fragments, it had a black appearance and shiny surfaces quite similar to obsidian, a natural glass of volcanic origin - black and shiny, whose formation is due to the very rapid cooling of the lava. But, unlike obsidian, the glassy remains were extremely brittle and easy to crumble," Petrone said. Analyses of this material, previously published in other scientific journals, revealed the presence of proteins and fatty acids common in human brain tissues, with the entire central nervous system exceptionally well preserved, represented by nerve cells interconnected by a dense network of fibers called axons. The research is forging a deeper understanding of how the tragic events unfolded after the eruption. "The study shows that the 'killer' at Herculaneum was the arrival in town of an early hot ash cloud. This highlights the importance of understanding the behavior of ash clouds, as they are very hazardous and still very poorly studied and understood," said volcanologist and study first author Guido Giordano of Roma Tre University in Italy. The actual burial of the city occurred in later stages of the eruption. The custodian at apparently around midnight was surprised while sleeping in his bed by the first effects of the eruption. "As the postures of the victims' bodies show, the custodian of the college died instantly from the impact with the hot volcanic ash surge, as did all the rest of the inhabitants of Herculaneum," Petrone said. "The body of evidence found for the victims at Herculaneum shows that all people died instantly, so they did not have time to notice or suffer." Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.
