How Vesuvius Eruption Transformed Victim’s Brain into Glass

A man who died in a volcanic eruption nearly 2,000 years ago had his brain turned into glass. This rare event happened in Herculaneum in 79 CE. Scientists studied his remains and found evidence of human brain remains transformed into organic glass at high temperatures. This has never been seen before. They used different techniques like scanning electron microscopy to study the glass samples. The brain had to be heated to at least 510 degrees Celsius and then cooled quickly. This happened when a super-heated ash cloud spread out from the volcano and caught the man. The ash cloud reached temperatures higher than 510 degrees, vitrifying his brain without destroying it completely. This unique event has left evidence buried under the ash in Herculaneum. The researchers published their findings in Scientific Reports.