Ancient Roman Brain Preserved as Glass in Vesuvius Eruption

Researchers uncover the first known case of a human brain vitrified by extreme heat and rapid cooling during the 79 CE eruption at Herculaneum.

The vitrified brain, found in the remains of a young man at Herculaneum, is the only documented instance of organic tissue naturally transforming into glass.
The preservation occurred due to exposure to a superheated ash cloud exceeding 510°C, followed by rapid cooling as the ash dissipated.
The victim, believed to be a guardian of the Collegium Augustalium, was buried in volcanic flows that protected the vitrified brain from decomposition.
Advanced analysis techniques confirmed the material's organic origin and identified preserved neural structures within the glass-like fragments.
This discovery revises the eruption's timeline, suggesting short-lived but intense ash clouds as the initial deadly event before cooler pyroclastic flows buried the city.