Archaeologists Discover World’s Oldest Human Brain
Posted on: Friday, 12 December 2008, 13:35 CST
The remains of what could be Britain's oldest surviving human brain were found at a York University excavating site.
The archaeologists discovered a skull containing a yellow substance that scans showed to be shrunken, but brain-shaped. Brains consist of fatty tissue that microbes in the soil would absorb, so neurologists believe the find could be some kind of fossilized brain.
The area where the skull was found was first farmed more than 2,000 years ago. More tests will now be done to establish what it is actually made of.
The excavation team at York Archaeological Trust had been commissioned by the university to carry out an exploratory dig at Heslington East, where campus extension work is under way.
The researchers found the skull in an area of extensive prehistoric farming landscape of fields, trackways and buildings dating back to at least 300 BC. They believe the skull, which was found on its own in a muddy pit, may have been a ritual offering.
Archeologists took it to the University of York where CT scans were used to look at the skull's contents.
“It's exciting that scanning has shown structures which appear to be unequivocally of brain origin,” said Philip Duffey, the consultant neurologist who carried out the scans.
"I think that it will be very important to establish how these structures have survived, whether there are traces of biological material within them and, if not, what is their composition."
He said it could be the equivalent of a fossil, since the brain itself would generally not survive and microbes would feast on the fatty tissues.
"This isn't like the remains found in bogs; it doesn't have any skin on the skull or any tissue remains elsewhere.
"There is something unusual in the way the brain has been treated, or something that it's been exposed to that has preserved the shape of it."
The survival of brain remains where no other soft tissues are preserved is extremely rare, according to Dr. Sonia O'Connor, research fellow in archaeological sciences at the University of Bradford.
"This brain is particularly exciting because it is very well preserved, even though it is the oldest recorded find of this type in the UK, and one of the earliest worldwide."
At the same site earlier in the year, a team from the university's department of archaeology unearthed a shallow grave containing the skeleton of a man believed to be one of Britain's earliest victims of tuberculosis.
After radiocarbon dating, researchers believe the man likely died in the fourth century, the late-Roman period.
"The skull is another stunning discovery and its further study will provide us with incomparable insights into life in the Iron Age," said Professor Brian Cantor, the vice-chancellor of the University of York.
The skull is now set to endure further testing to establish how it has survived for so long, and perhaps more about the person whose brain it was.
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Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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