Scientists Unravel Why Ancient Brains Survive for Millennia

A new study published on August 7 in the Journal of Proteome Research reveals why some human brains have been preserved for thousands of years. Conducted by Alexandra Seviour, a paleobiologist at the University of Oxford, the research shows that low-oxygen, wet environments can actually help protect brain tissue from decay. The researchers looked at 72 mouse specimens under various conditions—wet/oxygen-rich, wet/oxygen-poor, dry/oxygen-rich, and dry/oxygen-poor—over periods from 24 hours to six months. They discovered that in oxygen-rich environments, proteins break down quickly due to free radicals, while in low-oxygen scenarios, these radicals bond with proteins, making them more resilient. This process explains the preservation of over 4,400 human brains, some up to 12,000 years old, often found in watery places like shipwrecks and flooded caves. Richard Evershed, an organic geochemist at the University of Bristol, who wasn’t involved in the study, suggests further investigation into other tissues and archaeological materials could be beneficial, especially regarding brain aging and diseases like Alzheimer's.