New research shows human brains can remain preserved for up to 12,000 years under specific conditions, revealing surprising durability.
A 1,000-year-old brain, still soft and orange-stained by iron oxides, was found in a Belgian churchyard
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Milad Fakurian
Recent research reveals that human brains can survive for an astonishingly long time, with some specimens enduring for up to 12,000 years. Alexandra L. Morton-Hayward, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Oxford, led a study that uncovered over 4,400 instances of preserved human brains across various archaeological sites. This finding challenges the notion that such preservation is rare, suggesting instead that ancient brains might be more common than previously thought.
Morton-Hayward and her team reviewed centuries of archaeological data and categorised preserved brains into five types based on their preservation methods. These include freezing, drying, tanning, saponification (the formation of grave wax), and a fifth category where the preservation process remains unknown. Surprisingly, nearly a third of these brains did not fit into any established category, indicating a mysterious preservation mechanism that could explain their longevity.
The study found that brains preserved by unknown methods tend to last far longer than those preserved by known processes. Most of these exceptionally long-lasting brains were discovered in wet environments, such as shipwrecks and lake beds. The team hypothesises that unique brain chemistry and post-mortem changes might contribute to this extraordinary durability. The research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, highlights the potential for discovering more preserved brains in future archaeological digs.
Among the types of preservation, frozen and dehydrated brains are generally found to last shorter periods compared to those preserved through tanning or saponification. The "unknown" category, however, consistently shows brains preserved for the longest durations. This suggests that further investigation into these unknown preservation processes could uncover new methods for understanding ancient human remains.
In addition to studying preservation types, the research illustrates that as the age of preserved brains increases, their numbers generally decrease. This trend is especially evident when comparing the abundance of preserved brains across different preservation methods.
The new insights into brain preservation have significant implications for archaeology and forensic science. They suggest that preserved brains might be more frequently encountered than initially believed, providing valuable information about ancient human life and environments. Alexandra L. Morton-Hayward's findings encourage archaeologists to thoroughly examine skulls during excavations, as hidden preserved brains could offer new insights into our past. This groundbreaking research opens avenues for future studies and could redefine how we approach the study of ancient human remains.
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