The catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000,000 years ago is famous for rescuing many of its victims in volcanic ash. New research suggests that this defense extends to the cellular level, due to the apparent detection of neurons in a victim whose brain was turned into glass during an explosion.
New Research The discovery of neuronal tissues of the vitrified brain and spinal cord published today in Plus One describes the victim of the Mount Vesuvius eruption, which occurred in 79 CE.
The discovery of brain tissue in ancient human remains is an unusual phenomenon, said Pierre Paolo Petron, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Federico II in Italy and lead author of the new study, in a press release. “But what is extremely rare is the integral preservation of the neuronal structures of a 2,000-year-old central nervous system, at an unprecedented resolution in our case.”
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed many ancient Roman cities, including Herculaneum, Pompeii, Stabia, and Plantis. After a series of earthquakes, the volcano erupted into a vast column of molten rock, hot ash, and pumice. Residents of nearby settlements suffered from rapid pyroclastic flow – a fast-moving avalanche of superhit material. An estimated 2,000 people were killed during the blast.
G / O media can get commission
The falling volcanic ash resulted in the rapid burial and rescue of many victims, including the famous rescue at Pompeii. In some cases, however, due to intense heat Skeletons of victims for the explosion, A sudden rise in temperature to 932 degrees Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius). At Herculaneum, some residents found refuge in a nearby boat chamber, where they were. Baked live.
Research published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that even on that day there are extreme conditions. A victim’s brain turned into glass, Described in the paper led by Patron. Vitrification is the process by which intense heat converts tissue into a glassy substance – a good means of preserving the structure on both the micro and micro scales. The male victim, seen from Herculaneum, was lying on a wooden bed and buried in volcanic ash.
Petron, along with an interdisciplinary team of experts, explores evidence of neuronal structures within the same vitrified brain. Researchers say there is evidence of rapid cooling of the hot volcanic ash cloud that struck Herculaneum in the early stages of this eruption. According to scientists, the resulting vitrification strengthened man’s neuronal structures, preserving and replacing them for about 3,000 years.
Using an image-processing tool designed for scanning electron microscopes and neural networks, the team found traces of the central nervous system, including remnants of brain cells, neurons, myelin, and cellular microtubules. The compositions seen in these microscopic images seem very tidy, indicating a significant degree of maintenance in this vitrified brain.
For the second line of evidence, the researchers analyzed the proteins they discovered earlier this year, and found that the genes within these proteins are involved in the expression of various structures in the human brain. This protein “agrees more with the neuronal origin of abnormal archaeological discoveries,” the authors wrote in their study.
Zachary Throckmort, a paleonthropologist and research fellow at the Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, praised the authors’ use of two different lines of evidence to support their findings, but did not completely rule out a new paper.
“Their protein residue analysis supports their claim, but the complexity of how gene expression changes in body tissues makes their findings indicative but not definitive,” Throckmort said in an email.
On the other hand, the microscopic images shown in the paper “more strongly indicate that they were in fact discovered.” [nerve cells] This is preserved in the Vesuvius victim, ”he said. Still, Throckmorton believes the authors’ claims can be reinforced by comparative experimental images. To be fully convinced, he “wants to see their images compared to the central nervous system tissues of experimentally vitrified mammals in known, controlled conditions.”
Tim Thompson, a professor of applied biological ethnography at the University of Tassed in the UK, felt that the new paper, like some of Patron’s previous works, “does not have enough information for an outsider to properly assess it.” Said during a video call.
The brain, he said, will not defend very well, and decomposition after death is often the first thing. Thus, the new study “highlights the complexity of maintenance on Herculaneum.” Thompson said he did not know if the authors had discovered preserved neurological structures, but the new paper showed that not all people struck by the superheated gas wave could evaporate immediately. As a forensics expert, Thomas would love to know how a defense like this is possible, says the new paper “not really paying attention to it.”
During the same video call, Matthew Collins, a professor of paleoprotomics at the University of Copenhagen, agreed with Thompson, saying he was “disappointed” that the authors had not released all their raw data, claiming that Petron’s Makes. That said, the microscopic images shown in the paper “seem to have structures,” but I want to see more. In which he added: “There is clearly something going on in the maintenance of the brain, and it is very exciting.” He said that while it is possible to keep this true, it makes sense, because the human body is a “liquid-rich medium” in which the outer pieces do not cook as fast as the inner parts.
The opening line of the new paper states that the discovery of microscopic brain tissue “is a rare phenomenon in human archaeological remains, which may provide unique insights into the structure of the ancient central nervous system.” Thompson, Collins, and Alexandra Morton-Hayward, archaeologists at University College London, who participated in the video chat, respectfully disagreed. Recent NEJM Paper By all three, the co-author argues that brain tissue is very common in archaeological records. In his paper, scientists provide numerous examples, including well-preserved ancient Egyptians. Mummified corpses And Skulls found buried Sogi in a mud pit.
“Your readers need to be aware that this latest discovery is not so special when it comes to finding ancient brain tissue. More than 1,300 brains have been reported in various contexts of archaeological records since the middle of the 17th century. It’s amazing in this place, and not unique, and in some ways not even exciting. “The problem, he said, is that this brain isn’t studied enough, which could explain the underporting.
To be clear, Morton-Hayward was excited by the possible discovery of brain tissue in vitrified fossils. She noted that the preserved brain seen in heat-based contexts is “not so normal”, but it does HappensHe added that he would not be surprised if Patron and his colleagues actually found a “well-preserved microstructure” in the sample.
“Herculaneum is an exceptional site, and with an exciting context,” Morton-Hayward said. “We’re looking for preserved brains around the world, and I hope this is the beginning of even more work in that area.”
.
