WEBVTT - The Artifact: The Heslington Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of

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<v Speaker 1>My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and

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<v Speaker 1>this is the Artifact, a short form series from Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>to Blow Your Mind, focusing in on particular objects, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>and moments in time. At the center of all human endeavors,

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<v Speaker 1>from warfare and art to religion and science, we find

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<v Speaker 1>the human brain. But how often do we actually find

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<v Speaker 1>brain tissue in the buried remnants of human beings in

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<v Speaker 1>their history. The main issue, of course, is that soft

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<v Speaker 1>tissue doesn't stick around. Brains usually decomposed rather quickly following

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<v Speaker 1>the creature's death, with enzymes rapidly breaking up the spongy tissue,

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<v Speaker 1>which is roughly sevent water. Unless this process is interfered with,

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<v Speaker 1>the brain decomposes along with the rest of the body's

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<v Speaker 1>soft tissue and has gone entirely within the first few

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<v Speaker 1>years of death. But of course, environmental circumstances and human

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<v Speaker 1>burial practices sometimes allow a bit of brain to survive

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<v Speaker 1>the conquering worm. For instance, brain cells have been found

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<v Speaker 1>preserved in remnants from the seventy nine CE eruption of

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<v Speaker 1>Mount Vesuvius. It provides scientists with the chance to study

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<v Speaker 1>neuronal tissue from the ancient world. Obsey the Iceman, Europe's

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<v Speaker 1>oldest mummy, died roughly five thousand, three hundred years ago.

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<v Speaker 1>Since the ice preserved his body, scientists have been able

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<v Speaker 1>to perform a protein analysis of his brain tissue to

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<v Speaker 1>determine that he suffered a head injury prior to death,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps a blow to the back of the head from

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<v Speaker 1>a weapon or an injury suffered from a fall after

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<v Speaker 1>being struck with an arrow. Even Egyptian mummies, whose brains

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<v Speaker 1>were often removed as part of the embalming ritual, sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>give up their gray matter for modern scientific scrutiny. In

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand fourteen, researchers discovered a seventeen hundred year old

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<v Speaker 1>Age Action mummy with a missing heart but an intact brain.

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<v Speaker 1>And then there is the Heslington Brain, discovered in Heslington,

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<v Speaker 1>York in two thousand and nine by archaeologists from the

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<v Speaker 1>York Archaeological Trust. While excavating an Iron Age pit, they

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<v Speaker 1>found an intact skull with jaw and two vertebrae still attached.

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<v Speaker 1>When they opened the skull, they found an astonishingly well

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<v Speaker 1>preserved human brain. This was all the more impressive since

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<v Speaker 1>the brain turned up in an unembalmed, otherwise skeletonized human remains.

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<v Speaker 1>The two thousand, six hundred year old brain may have

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<v Speaker 1>remained so well preserved due to the fact that the

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<v Speaker 1>seemingly disembodied head had been cast into a cold, oxygen

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<v Speaker 1>poor environment. Dr Axel pet Sold of the u C. L.

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<v Speaker 1>Queen Square Institute of Neurology has suggested that decay might

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<v Speaker 1>have been halted within three months of death by an

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<v Speaker 1>acidic fluid that may have leaked into the skull, preserving

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<v Speaker 1>outer reach is more than the interior parts of the brain.

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<v Speaker 1>Rodrigo Perez Ortega of Science Magazine has also suggested that

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<v Speaker 1>a brain disease might have helped matters, producing dense protein

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<v Speaker 1>clumps that would have survived better. The brain, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>is not a true artifact, but it is the author

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<v Speaker 1>of artifacts, and given the right circumstances, it takes its

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<v Speaker 1>place on the shelf beside them. Tune into additional editions

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<v Speaker 1>of the artifact each week, hosted by either Joe or myself.

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<v Speaker 1>As always, you can email us at contact at stuff

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<v Speaker 1>to Blow your Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your

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<v Speaker 1>Mind is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcasts,

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