Posted on 05/30/2025 9:28:14 AM PDT by Red Badger
Buried for hundreds of years, ancient brains are finally speaking. What they’re saying could change everything we thought we knew.
A pioneering scientific breakthrough has made it possible to extract proteins from preserved soft tissues, including human brains, revealing a vast archive of biological information that has long remained inaccessible. This new method promises to reshape our understanding of evolution, diet, microbiomes, and even the development of brain cells over millennia.
Tapping Into Hidden Biological Archives
Every organism is built from proteins—molecules that drive vital processes such as heartbeats and neural communication. When an organism dies, these proteins usually degrade quickly. But when tissues are preserved, some proteins can survive, sometimes for centuries.
According to Alexandra Morton-Hayward at the University of Oxford, “there are soft tissues preserved over half a billion years of Earth history,”. These tissues are biological goldmines, containing “more than 75 percent of all human proteins.”
Until now, protein extraction from such tissues has remained elusive. Most paleoproteomic studies have focused on bones and teeth, which offer only limited insights—mainly about species identity and genetic relations. Some work has been done on skin and hair, often found as leather or fur, but these offer minimal protein data. Soft internal tissues, by contrast, hold a much richer molecular narrative.
A Breakthrough Technique Using Urea In a recent study, Morton-Hayward and her team successfully extracted proteins from preserved human brains collected from an archaeological site in Bristol, UK. The samples spanned up to 300 years in age. From 456 preserved brains, the team selected 10, each just 50 milligrams in weight, and tested several chemical processes to identify the most effective for releasing proteins.
They found that urea, a natural chemical found in urine, could break down brain cells while keeping the proteins intact. Once released, the proteins were fragmented and analyzed using mass spectrometry, a technique that identifies molecules based on their mass and charge. The most successful method revealed 1,205 proteins, an unprecedented yield for such a study.
“This would be probably one of the first, if not the first, [study] to do that,” said Ragnheiður Diljá Ásmundsdóttir of the University of Copenhagen, highlighting the technique’s novelty and potential for further research.
Scientists Crack Brain Protein Code — What’s The Next Target?
While the current focus was on brain tissue, the method is likely applicable to other soft tissues such as the liver or intestines. These organs also preserve a wide array of proteins, many of which hold keys to ancient diets, pathogens, and physiological functions.
According to Morton-Hayward, there are countless preserved samples sitting unused in storage facilities worldwide. With this new technique, these collections could be revisited and reanalyzed, unlocking insights that were previously impossible to obtain.
The study also prompts new questions about the limits of protein preservation. While the oldest proteins retrieved so far—between 21 and 24 million years old—came from teeth in the Canadian High Arctic, it’s uncertain how long proteins in soft tissues can endure. Some preserved tissues date back to the Cambrian Period, between 539 and 487 million years ago, and include samples like trilobite guts and arthropod nervous systems. Whether proteins remain in these ancient tissues, or whether current tools are insufficient to detect them, remains an open question.
Ancient Biology Decoded
One of the central challenges going forward will be understanding how proteins decay over time. According to Morton-Hayward, this knowledge will be essential for reconstructing what the original proteins looked like before degradation set in.
“Either there are proteins in there, and we don’t have the techniques to gain access to them yet, or there are no proteins after a certain amount of time,” remarked Ásmundsdóttir. “Which one it is, we will have to wait and see.”
This method represents a new frontier in evolutionary biology, potentially allowing scientists to peer into the physiological and biochemical evolution of species—including our own—at a level of detail never before possible.
PinGGG!..........................
Was that Adam or Eve?
Aka: Our “Reptilian Brain”? Yes, it’s still there. A lasting vestige of the old days.
The ‘Lizard Brain’, (NOT James Carville related) ref. Brainstem and cerebellum.
Responsible for survival functions, breathing, balance, fight or flight, etc.
“could change everything we thought we knew”
The very definition of “science”.
“Science fact” until we find out we were WRONG!
Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase: PEE BRAIN...............
Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase: PEE BRAIN...............
Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase: PEE BRAIN...............
Title doesn’t match the content.
You have something against furthering our knowledge of human proteins?
Urine big trouble.
Thanks Red Badger.
this ancient brain structure...name, anyone?
It's important to use the right brains.
Who says ancient brain structures should not exist?
https://oxford.academia.edu/AlexandraMortonHayward
Abbey...................
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