Volcanic eruption 2000 years ago turned man's brain into glass

13 Oct 2020

Volcanic eruption 2000 years ago turned man’s brain into glass

Volcanic eruption 2000 years ago turned man’s brain into glass2000 years ago, in 79 CE, a volcano named Mount Vesuvius erupted in Italy. The volcanic eruption destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae and buried them under ash. This eruption released thermal energy 100,000 times more than that released by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.

Recently, a team of scientists in Italy have found intact (undamaged) brain cells in a man who died in the Mount Vesuvius eruption. The person's brain had become "glassified" into a black glassy material inside the skull.

This transformation to glass occurred due to a process of extreme heating and rapid cooling called vitrification. It happened when the brain was exposed to hot volcanic ash, turning it into a liquid-like state. But then, it was immediately cooled down, which turned it into glass.

The 'glass' brain is so well preserved that the brain cells' structure is even visible. The researchers also found intact nerve cells in the spinal cord, which, like the brain, had also become like glass.

The discovery was made when the experts studied remains of the city of Herculaneum. The man was around 25 years old when he died. The study of the burnt wood found next to the skeleton showed that the site reached a temperature of more than 500 degrees Celsius after the eruption.

This level of "perfect" vitrification has not been seen before and scientists hope to learn more about the human brain from this.

Here is a video on how glass is made in factories:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtvdquC90vc

Recommended for Secondary Grades

2000 years ago, in 79 CE, a volcano named Mount Vesuvius erupted in Italy. The volcanic eruption destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis […]

To read more...

Share your comment! Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

To post your comment Login/Signup