Overview

• Italian scientists have determined that an ancient Roman's brain was transformed into glass by extreme heat and rapid cooling during the Mount Vesuvius eruption in AD 79.
• The vitrified brain fragments, discovered in 2018 in Herculaneum, are the only known instance of human or animal tissue naturally turning to glass.
• Researchers concluded that a superheated ash cloud exceeding 510°C struck the city before the pyroclastic flow, rapidly cooling to create the glass-like preservation.
• Electron microscopy revealed preserved neural structures, offering unprecedented insights into the conditions of the eruption and the unique process of vitrification.
• The findings challenge previous assumptions about how victims in Herculaneum died and highlight the deadly potential of poorly understood volcanic ash clouds.