Scientists have discovered that the human brain can be preserved for many years: research

Scientists studied almost 4.5 thousand human brains from six continents of the world. Their age is approximately 12 thousand years. They found them discolored and reduced in size, but well preserved despite such a long period of time.

It is believed that the brain is one of the first human organs to decompose after death. However, recent studies question this theory, writes IFL Science.

In the study, the results of which published in the scientific journal The Royal Society, it is said that they were found in desert burials, mountain passes, swamps and reservoirs. They belonged to representatives of all walks of life: from Arctic explorers to European monks and even members of royal families in Egypt and Korea.

Scientists say that everyone knows brain samples taken were dehydrated and therefore reduced in size, as well as discolored.

Live brain tissue has a pink color, like most raw meat, but under the influence of time it changes, explained scientist Alexandra Morton-Hayward. She argues that understanding how the brain is capable stored for such a long time may help find new brain samples in the future.

The subgroup of more than 1,300 brains that were preserved among the skeletons turned out to be the most interesting for researchers. These specimens have been found in submerged graves, ships and ponds. According to Morton-Hayward, it was a surprise to find them in such an environment.

Also, these brains were the oldest in the archive that the researchers had previously compiled. Some of them date back to the last ice age – they are at least 12 thousand years old.

Human brains can be preserved for long periods of time under certain conditions: natural, such as freezing in the mountains or desiccating in the desert, or artificial, such as embalming.

But scientists still do not know exactly why the discovered samples were so well preserved. This may be due to the environment in which these organs were located, or to their unique chemical composition. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct other studies in order to find this out.

This discovery forces scientists to start looking at the human body and remains from a different angle. It suggests that the body is not decomposing as previously thought, the researchers say.

The human body has soft (muscles, for example) and hard (teeth, bones) tissues. It was previously discovered that they decompose differently: solid ones need more time for this.

“Instead of thinking about hard and soft tissues, we should consider the differences in the biochemical composition of individual organs and tissue types: it can ‘dictate’ their preservation potential as much as environmental factors.

For example, we have traditionally believed that the brain decays quickly, but recently collected data clearly suggest the opposite, and rather demonstrate that under certain circumstances it is the last to decay.” – researcher Alexandra Morton-Hayward said.

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