The Mysterious Preservation of Human Brains Baffles Scientists
There’s still so much we don’t know about the human brain and that includes how some specimens remain preserved for thousands of years. Over 4,000 human brains have been studied as part of new research into a mystery that’s baffling scientists.
Understanding the Ancient Preserved Brains
Some of the brains in the study date back as far as 12,000 years. The researchers released a timeline of the preserved brains they studied. The study highlights that brains don’t always decompose quickly after death and some remain preserved even when there’s been no preservation techniques used. This research was led by Oxford University’s Alexandra Morton-Hayward.
Exploring the Archaeological Record for Clues
It involved a team trawling through the archaeological record of human brains. The findings have been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences journal. “Here, we collated an archive of more than 4400 human brains preserved in the archaeological record across approximately 12,000 years, more than 1300 of which constitute the only soft tissue preserved amongst otherwise skeletonized remains. “We found that brains of this type persist on time scales exceeding those preserved by other means, which suggests an unknown mechanism may be responsible for preservation particular to the central nervous system,” the researchers wrote.
Ancient Brains with Surprising Persistence
One of the oldest brains in question was found preserved in a severed skull. The skull belonged to a Stone Age person who had been decapitated and their head placed on spike in Sweden sometime between 6350 to 5000 BC. Another of the brains was found in a prehistoric cemetery in Upper Egypt and had been preserved in a shallow sandy grave.
Future Perspectives on Ancient Brain Studies
“The untapped archive of preserved ancient brains represents an opportunity for bioarchaeological studies of human evolution, health and disease,” the researchers continued. Some of the preserved brains had resonable explanations such as being freeze dried or volcanic preservation. However, there were many that were the only soft tissue to survive on skeletons. Scientists warned that preserved brains can look the same color as soil and many may have been discarded during excavations.
Unfolding the Timeline of Life on Earth
The history of the planet in years is a fascinating journey through time:
- 4.6 billion years ago – the origin of Earth
- 3.8 billion years ago – first life appears on Earth
- 2.1 billion years ago – lifeforms made up of multiple cells evolve
- 1.5 billion years ago – eukaryotes, which are cells that contain a nucleus inside of their membranes, emerge
- 550 million years ago – first arthropods evolve
- 530 million years ago – first fish appear
- 470 million years ago – first land plants appear
- 380 million years ago – forests emerge on Earth
- 370 million years ago – first amphibians emerge from the water onto land
- 320 million years ago – earliest reptiles evolve
- 230 million years ago – dinosaurs evolve
- 200 million years ago – mammals appear
- 150 million years ago – earliest birds evolve
- 130 million years ago – first flowering plants
- 100 million years ago – earliest bees
- 55 million years ago – hares and rabbits appear
- 30 million years ago – first cats evolve
- 20 million years ago – great apes evolve
- 7 million years ago – first human ancestors appear
- 2 million years ago – Homo erectus appears
- 300,000 years ago – Homo sapiens evolves
- 50,000 years ago – Eurasia and Oceania colonised
- 40,000 years ago – Neandethal extinction
This journey through time showcases the incredible evolution of life on Earth and how far we have come as a species.