JOURNAL ARTICLE

Brain turned to glass reveals a city's catastrophic final moments.

  • Published In: Sciencemag.org, 2025. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Applied Science & Technology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Blinder, Collin 3 of 3

Abstract

A new analysis of a man's brain turned to glass in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum suggests that an ash cloud, not a volcanic avalanche, may have been the cause of the city's destruction by Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E. The glassy brain, the only known example of a brain preserved as glass, indicates a rapid heating and cooling process, supporting the theory of a swift ash cloud preceding the volcanic debris. Researchers carefully tested the brain samples to confirm the unique preservation method, shedding light on the catastrophic final moments of the city's residents. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Sciencemag.org. 2025/02, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Anthropology
  • Publication Date:2025
  • Accession Number:183407585
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Sciencemag.org is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.