Buried by Fire: The Enigma of the Glass Brain

Update: 2025-04-05

Description

SCI081: A brain turned to glass? Caroline Knight, Lindsay Sant, and Lino Saubolle reveal how a victim of Mount Vesuvius was preserved in a shocking state—and what it tells us about ancient Rome, volcanic fury, and the science behind vitrification.

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Links for this episode:

* Unique formation of organic glass from a human brain in the Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE | Scientific Reports

* The Tragic Death of Pliny the Elder and Pompeii’s Final Days | TheCollector

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