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Mount Vesuvius eruption melted victim's brain to glass
Deutsche Welle ^ | 01.23.2020 | lc/rc (AFP, AP)

Posted on 01/23/2020 9:08:28 PM PST by Olog-hai

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius turned an ancient victim’s brain into glass, according to Italian anthropologists.

The finding, dubbed as “sensational” and published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks the first time that scientists have verified such a phenomenon. […]

The remains of a man found lying on a wooden bed were discovered in Herculaneum in the 1960s. He is believed to have been the custodian of the College of Augustales, a place of worship that was at the center of the cult of Roman Emperor Augustus.

The glassy substance found inside of the victim’s skull has long captivated researchers who studied the remains of victims trapped by lava and toxic gases following the eruption.

The team of researchers confirmed that the victim’s brain had been vitrified, a process by which tissue is burned at such a high temperature that it turns into glass. Researchers believe that the temperature rose to 520°C (968°F), followed by a rapid drop in temperature which helped vitrify the remains. …

(Excerpt) Read more at dw.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Society
KEYWORDS: 79ad; ancientautopsies; archaeology; brain; collegeofaugustales; europe; glass; godsgravesglyphs; herculaneum; history; pompeii; romanempire; rome; vesuvius; vitrification; volcano
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1 posted on 01/23/2020 9:08:28 PM PST by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai

Note to self.
Do not set brain on glass near a volcano.


2 posted on 01/23/2020 9:10:04 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: Olog-hai

And about 2000 years later, the same vitrification process was found in the brain of Joe Biden.


3 posted on 01/23/2020 9:11:42 PM PST by nwrep
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To: SunkenCiv

PING


4 posted on 01/23/2020 9:11:46 PM PST by a fool in paradise (We need a tax to stamp out Communism- If you espouse Marxism weÂ’ll redistribute all of your money.)
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To: Olog-hai

He had a great skull,because it didn’t explode like they do often do when super heated to 800F.


5 posted on 01/23/2020 9:14:57 PM PST by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death by cultsther)
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To: Olog-hai

Created very first ‘Rat.


6 posted on 01/23/2020 9:15:56 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: Olog-hai

Is that covered by insurance? I don’t know if my PPO covers a glazier.


7 posted on 01/23/2020 9:16:03 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: Olog-hai

Now that’s getting ‘baked’!


8 posted on 01/23/2020 9:18:03 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Blue Jays

"...heated to 520* C / 968* F. and quickly cooled..."


I am sure it was a pretty quick way to go, all things considered.

9 posted on 01/23/2020 9:25:40 PM PST by Blue Jays ( Rock hard ~ Ride free)
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To: Olog-hai

That’s so scientific. Gotta love those third world educated folks. ;D


10 posted on 01/23/2020 9:27:13 PM PST by familyop ("Welcome to Costco. I love you." - -Costco greeter in the movie, "Idiocracy")
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To: Olog-hai

Adam Schiff’s brain?


11 posted on 01/23/2020 9:33:52 PM PST by hope_dies_last
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To: hope_dies_last

Vitrification is too noble a fate for that brain.


12 posted on 01/23/2020 9:34:45 PM PST by Olog-hai ("No Republican, no matter how liberal, is going to woo a Democratic vote." -- Ronald Reagan, 1960)
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To: Olog-hai

God punished Pompeii with the eruption. Pompeii was so hedinous it would make Amsterdam red light district look like Sesame Street.


13 posted on 01/23/2020 9:37:43 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: Olog-hai

Hopefully, he died quickly.


14 posted on 01/23/2020 9:40:17 PM PST by Inyo-Mono
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To: Olog-hai

Bull Sh-—t.

To turn to glass the brain would have to have much silicon in it. It does not. It is possible that silicon dioxide could have replaced the brain tissue over thousands of years if the burnt corpse was in a layer of ash that had moisture running through it. This is a common occurrence in fossilization. Volcanic ash is mostly silicon dioxide. It becomes soluble and can replace bones and tissue. It is a normal process.

That brain did not become glass or silicon dioxide by heat. It became such by mineral replacement of the remaining tissue of which I suspect was little.


15 posted on 01/23/2020 9:40:56 PM PST by cpdiii ( canecutter, deckhand, roughneck, geologist, pilot, pharmacist THE CONSTITUTION IS WORTH DYING FOR)
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To: Olog-hai

I hate it when that happens!


16 posted on 01/23/2020 9:41:37 PM PST by Carthego delenda est
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To: a fool in paradise; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; ...
Thanks a fool in paradise. In the wall, the victim had carved, in Latin, "yes, but it's *dry* heat".

17 posted on 01/23/2020 9:56:52 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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Vitrification, it's the name of the game" -- Bobbius Darrenius

18 posted on 01/23/2020 9:58:06 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: cpdiii

As a scientist, I completely agree.

This is complete BS about the brain becoming glass through heat. All it became through heat was baked brain, possibly burned.


19 posted on 01/23/2020 10:06:54 PM PST by CurlyDave
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To: cpdiii

Precisely. Thank you.


20 posted on 01/23/2020 10:09:19 PM PST by LaRueLaDue
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