How Vesuvius Transformed a Victim’s Brain into Glass: A Fascinating Tale of Pompeii’s Fiery Fury

Five years ago, researchers from Italy studied the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. They found a young man, likely in his mid-20s, in the ancient town of Herculaneum. He was discovered facedown on a wooden bed in a public building dedicated to Emperor Augustus. Some believe he was the caretaker who was asleep during the eruption.

In 2018, a researcher found shiny black shards in the man’s skull. A study published in 2020 suggested that the intense heat from the eruption had fused his brain tissue into glass. Forensic analysis of these glass-like pieces revealed proteins typically found in brain tissue and fatty acids like those in human hair. Nearby, a piece of charred wood showed temperatures reaching about 968 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s nearly as hot as the oven used to make Neapolitan pizza.

This discovery was groundbreaking because it marked the first time soft tissue, or any organic material, had been preserved naturally as glass. Just recently, a paper in the journal Nature confirmed that the fragments are indeed glassified brain tissue. Scientists used advanced techniques like electron microscopy and X-ray spectroscopy to analyze the samples. Their findings hint at unusual processes at play during the eruption, as noted by Guido Giordano, a volcanologist at Roma Tre University and the study’s lead author.

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