Human brain boiled in its skull lasted 4000 years

No burnt log (Image: Halic University Istanbul)

SHAKEN, scorched and boiled in its own juices, this 4000-year-old human brain has been through a lot.

It may look like nothing more than a bit of burnt log, but it is one of the oldest brains ever found. Its discovery, and the story now being pieced together of its owner's last hours, offers the tantalising prospect that archaeological remains could harbour more ancient brain specimens than thought. If that's the case, it potentially opens the way to studying the health of the brain in prehistoric times.

Brain tissue is rich in enzymes that cause cells to break down rapidly after death, but this process can be halted if conditions are right. For instance, brain tissue has been found in the perfectly preserved body of an Inca child sacrificed 500 years ago. In this case, death occurred at the top of an Andean mountain where the body swiftly froze, preserving the brain.

However, Seyitömer Höyük – the Bronze Age settlement in western Turkey where this brain was found – is not in the mountains. So how did brain tissue survive in four skeletons dug up there between 2006 and 2011? [...] newscientist.com/


Actualización 04-10-13. Encuentran un cerebro quemado dentro de su propio cráneo
Un cerebro humano de 4.000 años de antigüedad ha sido encontrado en Turquía, quemado en su propio cráneo. Se trata, informa New Scientist, de uno de los cerebros más antiguos jamás encontrados.

El tejido cerebral es rico en enzimas que hacen que las células se descompongan rápidamente después de la muerte, pero este proceso puede detenerse si las condiciones son las adecuadas. Por ejemplo, se ha encontrado tejido cerebral en el cuerpo perfectamente conservado de un niño inca sacrificado hace 500 años.

En este caso, la muerte se produjo en la cima de una montaña andina donde el cuerpo se congeló rápidamente, preservando el cerebro. Sin embargo, Seyitömer Höyük -el asentamiento de la Edad de Bronce en el oeste de Turquía donde se ha encontrado el nuevo cerebro- no se encuentra en la montaña. Entonces, ¿cómo pudo sobrevivir el tejido cerebral?

Los esqueletos se encontraron quemados en una capa de sedimentos que contenía también objetos de madera carbonizados. Dado que la región es tectónicamente activa, los investigadores especulan que un terremoto arrasó el asentamiento y enterró a la gente antes de que el fuego se propagara través de los escombros.

Las llamas habrían consumido todo el oxígeno de los escombros y habrían quemado el cerebro en sus propios fluidos. La falta resultante de humedad y oxígeno en el ambiente ayudó a evitar la descomposición del tejido.

Además, el suelo es rico en potasio, magnesio y aluminio, que reaccionaron con los ácidos grasos del tejido humano para formar una sustancia jabonosa llamada adipocere ("cera mortuoria"), la cual conservó la forma del tejido cerebral suave.

La mayoría de los arqueólogos no se molestan en buscar restos de tejido cerebral porque suponen que rara vez se conservan, una inercia que podría cambiar con descubrimientos como éste. En los casos en que el cerebro está tan bien conservado, incluso sería posible buscar patologías tales como tumores y hemorragias, y tal vez incluso los signos de enfermedad degenerativa.  tendencias21.net


Actualización 13-10-13. Discovery of Bronze Age boiled brains in Kütahya shakes science

Actualización 09-09-14: Ancient brush and rattle discovered

Excavations in the Seyitömer tumulus in the western province of Kütahya have uncovered a brush and baby rattle, which are estimated to date back 5,000 years.

The artifacts were found by Dumlupınar University (DPU) Archaeology Department in a plot of land owned by a private company involved in coal mining.

“We found a brush here. The parts, where animal hairs are attached, are made of clay. It is a triangle brush adorned with motifs. They were used in the ceramic production in the early Bronze Age. The other item is a toy that makes the sound of a rattle when you shake it. It dates back to 3,000 B.C. It is very interesting for us since it has not been broken since then,” said the head of the excavations, Professor Nejat Bilgen, adding that the tumulus had been home to many civilizations.

Objects from the Roman, Hellenistic, Achaemenid, Middle Age and Bronze Age eras have been found in the excavations since they began in 2006. Archaeologists have discovered interesting items such as goddess figures, brushes and a baby rattle this year so far.

Bilgen said that because of its clay-based structure, they also found many cups made of clay in the field. “Reconstruction works have been continuing. There are also many weaving loom weights, made of clay, as well as goddess and small bull statuettes. This shows that bulls were a religious item for these people.”