Decapitated skull over 2,500 years old is the oldest preserved brain in Britain

A preserved brain from Iron Age Yorkshire has puzzled archaeologists over how the soft tissue has survived almost intact.

The skull was studied by Rachel Cubbitt from the York Archaeological Trust. “I peered through the hole at the base of the skull to investigate. To my surprise saw a quantity of bright yellow spongy material. It was unlike anything I had seen before,” Cubitt told Culture 24.

more…

interesting and creepy

CrazyNeutrino said:

Decapitated skull over 2,500 years old is the oldest preserved brain in Britain

A preserved brain from Iron Age Yorkshire has puzzled archaeologists over how the soft tissue has survived almost intact.

The skull was studied by Rachel Cubbitt from the York Archaeological Trust. “I peered through the hole at the base of the skull to investigate. To my surprise saw a quantity of bright yellow spongy material. It was unlike anything I had seen before,” Cubitt told Culture 24.

more…
interesting and creepy

The brain really is totally preserved. Amazing, better than cryonics. What natural conditions would allow brain preservation to occur for a period of 2,500 years? Complete absence of bacteria if course. The pH would have to be precise and constant. The brain is mostly fat and fat decays (goes rancid) very rapidly. Three degradation mechanisms would need to be avoided – microbial action, oxidation which breaks down the double bonds in the fat, and “Hydrolytic rancidity”. Hydrolytic rancidity is the reaction of fat with water – keeping water out in a burial would be extremely difficult, there is even water in the original brain.

So the area around the skull where it was found would be of interest to researchers

CrazyNeutrino said:

So the area around the skull where it was found would be of interest to researchers

The area around the skull is the scalp

Dropbear said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

So the area around the skull where it was found would be of interest to researchers

The area around the skull is the scalp

it’s 2,500 year old… I’d say he’d probably lost most of his hair by now…

diddly-squat said:

Dropbear said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

So the area around the skull where it was found would be of interest to researchers

The area around the skull is the scalp

it’s 2,500 year old… I’d say he’d probably lost most of his hair by now…

Takes some of us a bit less

Dropbear said:

diddly-squat said:

Dropbear said:

The area around the skull is the scalp

it’s 2,500 year old… I’d say he’d probably lost most of his hair by now…

Takes some of us a bit less

in some instances, two orders of magnitude

diddly-squat said:

Dropbear said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

So the area around the skull where it was found would be of interest to researchers

The area around the skull is the scalp

it’s 2,500 year old… I’d say he’d probably lost most of his hair by now…

And his marbles I recon.

bob(from black rock) said:

diddly-squat said:

Dropbear said:

The area around the skull is the scalp

it’s 2,500 year old… I’d say he’d probably lost most of his hair by now…

And his marbles I recon.

Imagine if they recover bits of memory though

I know that the brain needs electricity, but what if the memories are still there held in the brain tissue