Scientists examining the remains of a man who perished in the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. have made a rare and startling discovery—his brain had turned to glass.
The remains found in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum contained dark, glass-like fragments inside the skull.
Researchers confirmed that the extreme heat from the eruption caused the rare transformation known as vitrification. This marks the only known case of a human brain undergoing such a process.
Heat, ash cloud responsible for brain’s transformation
Experts believe the vitrification occurred due to the superheated ash cloud that engulfed Herculaneum, killing its inhabitants instantly.
Forensic anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone of Università di Napoli Federico II, who led the study, stated that the ash surge reached temperatures of at least 510 degrees Celsius (950°F). The intense heat rapidly burned soft tissues, and the sudden cooling afterward preserved the brain in a glass-like state.
“The glass formed as a result of this process allowed for an integral preservation of the biological brain material and its microstructures,” Petrone said. This is a unique case of biological material surviving under such extreme conditions.
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried Herculaneum and Pompeii under thick layers of volcanic debris, preserving the cities for nearly 1,700 years until their rediscovery in the 18th century.
The brain of a man who died nearly 2000 years ago was turned to glass by extreme conditions during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius pic.twitter.com/t3tC9rQ9g8
— nature (@Nature) February 27, 2025
Unlike Pompeii, where victims were covered in slow-falling ash, those in Herculaneum were exposed to a pyroclastic surge—a lethal wave of superheated gas and volcanic material that traveled at high speeds.
Discovery and scientific analysis
The man’s remains were first uncovered in the 1960s inside the College of the Augustales, a building dedicated to the worship of Emperor Augustus. Researchers identified him as a young man, likely the college’s caretaker. His remains were reexamined in 2018.
While documenting the skeleton, Petrone noticed tiny, shiny fragments within the skull. Upon closer inspection, they appeared similar to obsidian, a volcanic glass formed by rapidly cooling lava.
Tests confirmed that the material was human brain tissue, hardened into glass. Unlike obsidian, these fragments were fragile and crumbled easily.
Further analysis revealed the presence of proteins and fatty acids commonly found in brain tissue, along with well-preserved nerve cells connected by delicate fibers.
Shedding light on deadly ash clouds
The study, published in Scientific Reports, provides new insights into the devastating effects of pyroclastic flows. Volcanologist Guido Giordano of Roma Tre University, the study’s lead author, emphasized the importance of understanding such volcanic hazards.
“The study shows that the ‘killer’ at Herculaneum was the arrival in town of an early hot ash cloud,” Giordano said. “This highlights the importance of understanding the behavior of ash clouds, as they are very hazardous and still very poorly studied and understood.”
Experts concluded that the young caretaker died instantly, along with the rest of the city’s population. His body was likely exposed to the first surge of volcanic ash while he slept.
“As the postures of the victims’ bodies show, the custodian of the college died instantly from the impact with the hot volcanic ash surge, as did all the rest of the inhabitants of Herculaneum,” Petrone said.
“The body of evidence found for the victims at Herculaneum shows that all people died instantly, so they did not have time to notice or suffer.”
The findings contribute to the expanding understanding of ancient volcanic disasters, providing a rare insight into the final moments of one of history’s most infamous eruptions.
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